Dynasty's Return
by Ryuuko1
Summary: The Dynasty is back! But, it's subtle this time. The plan is still to take over the world, but this time is starts with the seduction and conversion of Ryo...O.o Chapter 27 up!
1. A Normal Life

After years of fighting, the Ronin warriors were looking forward to being something close to normal teenagers-which, unfortunately, meant high school. Toma couldn't be happier, and grinned at Shu's obvious dismay.

"It won't be as bad as you think," Shin said, trying to comfort his friend.

Seiji grinned wickedly. "Oh yeah. You'll only have to remember that 1+12 while 1x11."

Shu snarled and took a swipe at Halo, who nimbly dodged. Ryo watched, amused. Although he actually, secretly, couldn't wait to start some semblance of normalcy, he would miss spending time with his friends.

Shin sighed and stepped in to stop Shu from rampaging any further and turned both him and Seiji in the direction of the school.

"Walk."

Toma quenched a snicker as Seiji and Shu meekly obeyed Torrent's command. Toma fell into step with Seiji and Shu, stopping his teasing after a warning look from Shin. Though he might be the most gentle of the group, you did not piss Torrent off without a damn good reason.

The days slowly took on a pattern after that first awkward day. After all, it had been a long time since they had had any interaction with people their age outside of themselves. Shin woke up first and made breakfast. That brought Shu to the kitchen, dragging a groggy Ryo with him. Seiji would appear shortly afterward, smelling strongly of hair spray. They took turns waking up Toma. Shin was spared this duty since he was the cook. When Shu, in a desperate attempt to get out of Toma Duty offered that everyone should switch off cooking too, Shin politely reminded him of the last time Ryo had tried to cook something. No one questioned the system beyond that.

Toma sighed. He knew it was winter now and that being such it was prone to snowing. But that didn't mean that he had to like it.

"Don't be a grouch and help me with this! You promised," Shu snarled as he threw done his pencil in frustration and gave the force diagrams he was supposed to be solving a murderous glare. Toma sighed and resigned himself to helping Hardhead with Physics. Outside, a dark figure was perched in a tree, looking down in amusement at the household that comprised the Ronin Warriors. He wanted to see what it was about the Ronins that had been able to defeat so many perfectly good bad guys. He sighed. He would never get an idea of their fighting skill unless he 1) fought with them, which he was too lazy to do, or 2) somehow work his way into their lives. The second option required more effort buy didn't incur a chance of serious bodily harm. That decided, he disappeared into the shadows and snow. Ryo looked up from his English textbook and out the window, feeling as though someone had been out there a few moments before. But who would be stupid enough to travel in this blizzard? When only hazy light and snow met his eyes, he shrugged and went back to studying.


	2. Yuu

Homeroom the next day held a surprise for Ryo, Toma, and Shin. A young man with dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail stood in the front of the classroom, looking out the window. Shin and Toma exchanged curious glances with Ryo before finding their seats. They were half-way through the year. It was late for a transfer student. Ryo stood looking at him for a moment longer, and the man caught his eye, and smiled slightly. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance, but the air of mystery that hung about him drew Ryo to him.

"Hi. My name is Sanada Ryo. What's yours?"

The man paused, then smiled affably and said, "Shiten Yuu. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sanada-san."

"So...where're you from?"

"New York. I'm a Nisei, and my parents decided that I ought to get in touch with their native culture." He sounded bored.

Irked, Ryo replied, "It's very different from America, but isn't the entire world that way?"

Something about that remark made Yuu amused. The rest of the class filtered in, and Ryo was drawn away, leaving Yuu in the front talking to the teacher. The bell rang and silence descended. Yamashita-sensei nodded approval, then gestured to Yuu.

"He will be staying with us for the rest of the year. Please make him feel welcome."

Yuu smiled faintly. "My name is Shiten Yuu and I have transferred here from New York. I am 17 years old, a Capricorn, and interested in Kendo. Pleased to meet you all." He bowed and turned to the teacher.

"There is an open seat in the back. Please sit there."

Yuu bowed politely, picked up his books, and sauntered over to the free desk as Yamashita-sensei began his lesson. Ryo heard the girls beside him whisper and speculate over Yuu.

"Too bad it's not like a shojo manga where all the transfers are gorgeous."

"Welcome to real life."

"There's something about him though..."

"He does have something like, like...a mystique surrounding him."

"You're right. Didja see how he walked? He's confident in his body, and that's something rare for someone of his height. Not under 7 feet, my guess."

Ryo understood what they were saying. At least he wasn't the only one who felt the air of mystery that surrounded Yuu. As he paid half-attention to History class, he pondered how to bring up the topic of Yuu with Shin and Toma. They didn't sense anything strange like he did and, well, he didn't want them to think that he swung that way. He was spared having to talk to Shin or Toma at all, though, as Yuu approached him, holding his schedule.

"I don't understand any of this. How does this work? Can you help?"

Ryo was puzzled. "Why ask me?"

"Because you're the only one I remotely know."

Strangely relieved by the answer, he explained the scheduling and the workings of the school to Yuu, who listened intently. At the end of the lecture, Yuu sighed and smiled his half-smile. "Thank you, Sanada-san."  
"No problem."

The next class was English, possibly Ryo's most hated subject.

'How does any of it make sense?' he wondered as he squinted at the blackboard, trying to make sense of the examples. The class ended with Ryo in low spirits. So much homework, and he understood none of it! As he sat at the lunch table and snarled through parallel structure and editing questions, a hand reached over his shoulder and erased a word.

"'Who' is used for people. 'That' is used for objects. It's 'The person who I like' not 'The person that I like.'" Yuu murmured. Ryo jumped, and felt Yuu smile.

"I'll help you with your English if you help me with History," Yuu offered and sat next to Ryo.

'How does he sneak up on me?' Ryo wondered as Yuu retrieved his History homework. 'And how come the guys aren't reacting to him being here?' Ryo pondered these questions, came up with no answers and a headache, shrugged, and set about helping Yuu with History and being embarrassed about his poor English. After lunch, Ryo had no more classes with Yuu, and so was able to pay attention without his mind wandering to ponder the person who was becoming more mysterious at every interaction.

Yuu happened to be the topic on the way home.

"A mathematical wizard!" Toma exclaimed, indignant at being shown up by a foreigner. "He never took a note, but was able to do the practice problems on the board with no effort, and this is not easy stuff. Is the education that much better in America than here?"

Shu sighed dejectedly. "He's my new Physics lab partner. I feel even stupider next to him. Maybe he went to a really good prep school?"

"For someone raised in America, he's very learned with Kanji and the more obscure grammar points in Japanese. I'm impressed," Seiji reluctantly admitted.

"He didn't pay attention at all in English," Shin remarked.

Ryo grinned. "But he's abysmal at History."

"How do you know that?" Seiji asked.

Ryo paused awkwardly for only a moment, then replied "It was the only time he took notes. If he wasn't already good at it, why take notes?"

It was a lie, and a good one. They bought it.

Author: A Nisei is a second generation Japanese person born in America by Japanese immigrant parents.


	3. Friends

The days fell into a routine again, now with Yuu working into it a little at a time. Through Yuu's intervention, Shu's physics grades slowly began to rise.

"Shiten-san just explains things better. Then again, anyone explains it better than Toma."

Shu's grin did not fade under Toma's withering glare. Yuu began visits to the household, mostly for tutoring purposes(Shu in Physics and Ryo in English), and gradually Jun and Naste accepted him. Naste voiced her concern only once, one rainy Sunday. Ryo was watching the rain fall on the lake, Seiji and Toma were playing Go, Shu watched TV and Shin read a book. Naste looked up from her computer, hesitated, then said,

"Don't you think it's odd?"

"Think what's odd?" Seiji asked absently, not looking up from his game.

"Shiten-san…I mean, can we really trust him?"

"Why shouldn't we? He's helped Shu become exponentially better in Physics," Toma murmured as he made his move. Shin looked away from his book to give Naste a concerned, puzzled look.

"What's wrong?"

"There's just something…I mean, what if he finds out about the armors?"

"I think he can keep a secret," Ryo stated as he looked away from the window. "There's no reason to worry."

Naste hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

Yuu smiled as he leaned against the cold steel bleachers, watching Ryo practice long after the rest of the team had gone, a lone figure on the field. When he finished, panting and his shirt sticking to his chest, Yuu clapped, making Ryo look up quickly, habitually cautious. He relaxed and grinned in relief when he saw Yuu.

"You were watching?"

"You're very good," Yuu said as he walked to Ryo.

"I practice a lot."

"So I see."

Ryo laughed. Yuu looked towards the setting sun, doing a quick mental calculation.

"It's getting late and your house is quite a ways away.

Ryo shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"Mind if I come with you?"

"No, I don't mind." Ryo said as Yuu helped Ryo pack his things.

"You're doing better in English."

"As are you in History."

"I have a good teacher."

Ryo shook his head in amusement.

They walked, and twilight descended around them.

"It gets dark fast here," Yuu observed.

"It's because of the trees and the mountains. They block some of the light."

Yuu nodded his understanding, thinking.

They walked in companionable silence until they came to the lake. A thought struck Ryo.

"How are you getting home?"

Yuu smiled faintly, "Are you worried about me?"

"N-no," Ryo stammerd, "it's just that the forest around here can be…less than normal."

"Are you suggesting that I stay the night at your house?"

"Um…sure…I mean…"

Yuu smiled and leaned on a tree, looking at Ryo fondly, "You're an interesting little fire. Don't worry. My home is nearby."

"Really? Where?" Not many people lived nearby, so Ryo was curious.

"There."

"Where."

"There."

"What?"


	4. Sickness

The next morning, Shu opened the door to Ryo's room, expecting to wake him as normal. When only undisturbed blankets and no progression into entropy greeted him, he was confused, but stumbled towards the kitchen anyway. Maybe Ryo was already there. Shin looked up, surprised to see only Shu haphazardly making his way down the stairs.

"No Ryo?"

"Not in his room."

Shu sat down heavily at the table, and Shin dished out food to the Bottomless Pit, thinking. When Seiji came down, Shin asked,

"Who's turn is it to wake up Toma?"

"Ryo's," Seiji said as he helped himself to breakfast.

Shin tapped his fingers on the counter, sighed, then disappeared upstairs. Seiji and Shu watched him go, intrigued. There were a few moments of silence, a muffled yelp, and then a half-dressed Toma fell down the stairs, Shin following serenly after him. He joined Hardrock, Halo, and Strata at the table, and smiled at the astonished looks on Seiji's and Shu's faces.

"You're right, Shu. Ryo isn't in his room and it looks like he never was last night."

"Weird, ain't it?"

"Wonder what happened to him," Seiji murmured.

A groggy, disgruntled Toma shrugged as he thrust his fork into his food. "He'll turn up. He always does."

Ryo was in school when they arrived, apparently asleep on his desk. Shin walked over and lightly poked Ryo. A muffled "Wha?" Eminated from beneath the arms of the semi-concious Ryo.

"Ryo? Are you okay?"

Ryo looked up slowly, his blue eyes weary. "Just feelin' a little sick…"

"I can tell. Why didn't you come home?"

Shadows enetered his eyes as he thought, "Could barely walk…hot…queasy…think Yuu helped…"

"That was kind."

"Glad it was him…and not someone else…" Ryo managed to whisper before falling asleep again. Shin looked around for Yuu, but before he could go and speak to him, the rest of the class came in, and his opportunity was lost.

Over the course of the day, Ryo slowly began to look like his normal self, and by the end of school, he was behaving normally. Well, normally for Ryo. All the Ronins ganged up on him, and convinced him that practice after being so ill was not a good idea, and that it would be best that he rest. After a few weak arguments, Ryo submitted.

"You _sure_ you're okay?"

"**YES**. Stop worrying!"

Seiji tactfully turned the conversation away from Ryo's health and onto other topics.

Shu grumbled about the pop quiz in math and Seiji agreed that it was unfair. Toma was puzzled by their dismay, and Shin was content to listen and step in if any…disagreements insued. While this was occurring, Ryo was trying to recall what exactly had occurred the night before, but the more he tried, the more elusive the memories became. After giving himself a headache, he gave up. After receiving strict orders from Naste, Ryo retreated to his room early, rather than face the constant attention and worrying of Shin and Naste. Since the quiet conversation in the living room was about Ryo's health anyway, Shin told the rest of the group about what he managed to get from Ryo in a way of an explination. The guys listened, and thought over this.

"Ryo's right. I'd rather it be him than anyone else," Naste said.

"Some of it doesn't feel right, though," Toma murmured.

Shu shrugged. "Yuu's coming over to tutor me at 7. You can ask him then."


	5. Explinations and Death

Yuu, after half an hour of Seiji, Toma, Shin, Jun, and Naste all watching him, sighed and reined in his annoyance.

"Since I'm finding it hard to concentrate, ask me what you want to know," he said in a deceptively mild, patient voice.

"What happened yesterday?"

"Pardon?"

"You know what we're talking about. You and Ryo."

"Ah. What do you want to know?"

"Was he really sick?"

Yuu sighed, and nodded. "I work at the convience store down the road from the school and was walking home. I saw Ryo on the soccer field, looking worse for the wear. Hard practice, I suppose. I went down to say hello and ask if he needed help getting home. It's a hike from here to school, as I know you are aware of. He was flushed, and his eyes were glassy. I asked him if anything was wrong and he, being Ryo, said no. I doubted him, so I was helping him pack up, when he slumped onto a bleacher, panting. I felt his forehead—he was burning. The distance to my house is considerably shorter, so I took him there. He became progressively worse, so I was half-carrying him by the time I got home. I gave him medicine and water and took him to my room. A little after midnight his fever broke and I made him drink more water and medicine. I was relieved that when he woke up he was well enough to go to school. I knew you would be missing him. Anything else you need to ask, or do you believe me?"

The four Ronins were wary for a few days, suspicious of Yuu. Yuu ignored them, and became even closer to Ryo. Time passed, and Yuu entered the trust of the Ronin household once more, any previous suspicions forgiven. The Ronin Warriors could almost forget the years of Talpa and the Dynasty. They were finally living a "Normal" life.

A figure in black sub-armor leaned casually against the railing of a Tokyo skyscraper. He was having more fun now than he had in the previous 5 centuries!

"Poor little Warriors. I'm going to set reality on its ear again." He shivered and smiled wickedly. "This is going to be so much fun."

Shadows slowly gathered around him, then slowly dripped through the roof into the building. He could see everything going on inside, though his eyes were closed and the wind whipping through his hair. Whoever a drop of shadow touched shivered then died. Each sparkle of life that they possessed was trapped within a black bubble that rose through ceilings and floors to the figure's hand. The light and the ball grew until it was the size of his fist and let off a pale, flickering light. Everyone in the building was dead.

"I wonder how they'll react…" the figure whispered before both figure and life-light disappeared.


	6. Seduction

A scene of devastation greeted the eyes of police officers as they came to investigate an emergency call. Everyone in a Shibuya corporate building was found dead with no visible wounds or signs of struggle. Police are investigating further into the cause of death…

Naste looked away from the TV, shock, horror, and worry in her eyes.

"It doesn't seem like a mass suicide. People from many different companies work in that building."

"Do you think it may be something…supernatural? Not terrorist activity?"

Shin sighed. "If it IS supernatural, that means that we'll be fighting again…"

Shu grinned. "Great! I've been bored."

"What are we going up against, though, that can kill so many people with nobody noticing until it's too late?" Toma's question brought immediate silence.

"But…we have no information other than what's on the news. How can we research without any clues?" Ryo asked, looking at Naste, who nodded.

"He's right. I'm good, but I'm not _that_ good."

"But how are we going to find out anything?"

Shin withdrew his armor ball, which faintly glowed.

"Maybe following these can help? Heaven knows they've led us to trouble often enough."

Ryo shrugged. "It's an idea. Why not try it?"

The next day produced another case of mass unexplicable demise.

"We have to do something soon," Seiji stated with conviction.

"Where do we start, though?"

"Both attacks have been in Shibuya. Let's start there."

After a brief consultation, the Ronins decided that by splitting up, they had a better chance of discovery. They set a time and place to meet, then split into five different directions.

Ryo walked through downtown Shibuya, thinking.

'If I were a mass murderer, would I go after a place like this? I could easily get lost in the crowds, and it's not like anyone would live to tell the tale…'

He fished his armor ball out of his pocket to find it glowing a steady red.

'They're near…' he thought uneasily. He knew he could call on the guys for help, but what if they came too late? His sight was drawn upward, and he saw someone standing on top of a building.

'That's an apartment complex!'

He felt, rather than saw, energy dripping off the figure, which decided his actions. He ran to the building and clambered up the fireladders, panting. He was winded when he reached the roof, but the person hadn't moved. The only difference from what he had previously seen was there was now a softly shimmering globe in his hand.

"Too late, firebug," the man said, his voice a soft purr that made Ryo shiver.

"Who are you?"

"Come here, Ryo."

Ryo felt himself drawn forward, even though his more sensible part screamed at him not to. An arm's length away, he was able to discern features. He was clothed in black subarmor. He was tall, not under 8 feet and his deep black hair slithered down his back to his knees. But his eyes were what captivated him. They drew him in, depthless as space, cold, cruel, and hauntingly beautiful. The world dissolved around him and he moved closer, touching the cheek beneath the eyes, fascinated. He distantly heard someone call his name, but he was drawn away by strong, firm hands pulling him close.

"Come with me, my little flame," the man whispered in his caressing, melodic tenor.

Ryo's mind and heart were caught, and he longed to go. Reality entruded, however, when he and the man were assaulted by bright green lightning which the man deflected. Ryo's conciousness came slamming down on him. The concrete roof, the open air, and the battle cries of his friends reformed around him, and he pushed away. The captivating eyes flashed hurt, then annoyance, then resolution. As Ryo, in a daze, was being pulled away, a voice floated through his mind

_I will be back for you, my Flame._

Ryo felt suddenly, alarmingly, alone.


	7. Recover

Shu swore viciously at the man's disappearance, and Seiji was amazed, and confused, at how the warrior had so casually deflected his attack. Toma was puzzling over how the warrior had just disappeared, and what he could have possibly been doing. What did he want with Ryo?

Shin shook Ryo gently.

"Are you okay?" Shin asked, blatant concern in his voice. For a moment it seemed that Ryo hadn't heard him, but he eventually turned towards Shu's voice, as if waking up from a dream.

"Shin? Am I...? Yes, yes. I'm fine."

Shin wasn't convinced.

"What was happening? Who was that guy?"

"I asked him his name. He didn't give me an answer." Ryo's voice was weak, flat, and barely audible.

"Alright, so we don't know who he is still. What was happening between you and him, Ryo?"

Ryo declined to answer. He wasn't certain what had been happening.

Shu stopped snarling enough to remember why they were here in the first place and stalked over to Ryo.

"Ryo! What the hell was that about? Who was that guy?"

Ryo was irked by Shu's undirected anger.

"Would you guys stop asking questions? I don't know his name, I don't know what he wants. And really, I don't care. STOP," Ryo snapped. Shin relaxed, even though he could see that a minor squabble was brewing between Ryo and Shu. If Ryo was well enough to have a go with Shu, he was obviously okay.

'Trust Shu to find out if he's okay, even if his methods aren't the most tactful,' Shin thought, a wry smile touching his lips.

The confrontation with the unknown warrior had unnerved them. The ease with which he had blocked Seiji's attack and the look on Ryo's face when they pulled him away from the warrior was still very much on the Ronin's minds.

"How do we fight him? He didn't even bother to attack us, he jut disappeared! We don't know anything about his fighting style, weapons, armor, even his name!" Shu fumed and tore a roll to shreds as the Ronins sat around the kitchen table.

Toma shook his head. "He wasn't there to challenge us in a fight. I think he was there...because he somehow knew Ryo would be there as well."

Ryo shivered, remembering how he had felt then, and how he ached now, as if he had lost a part of himself. "What does he want from me, though?"

"The Inferno armor? No, he would have made you change into it before trying to seduce you" Seiji murmured.

Ryo blinked and blushed faintly at Seiji's word choice. Ryo shifted nervously, then frowned.

"We've faced a lot of other warriors. We have experience. I know we'll find a way to defeat him," Ryo said.

'We have to,' Ryo thought to himself.

Shin sighed and stretched. "I hope you're right."


	8. Battle for Ryo

The Ronins were relaxing. It was a rare day in winternot bitterly cold, nor snowing. The five were walking into town to do some "grocery shopping."

Actually, Mia just wanted them out of the house.

__

Ryo, whispered a beautiful, seductive voice in Ryo's mind, making him shiver and stop.

"Ryo?" Shin asked as he looked over his shoulder, then paused. He had never seen that expression on Ryo's face before. A mixture of anger, fear, and...hunger. "What's wrong?"

The others turned to look at what brought a note of such almost panicked concern in Shin's voice. Behind them, Ryo saw shadows solidify.

Ryo didn't stop to think. He transformed immediately and charged through them, and the enigma ducked expertly under Ryo's strokes, coming up from under him and his punch sending him flying back.

"Now why did you do that, my charming little firebug?"

The warrior's voice made Ryo's breath catch and send shivers down the other's spines. Ryo forced his concentration onto the situation.

"I won't let you hurt my friends!"

Ryo slipped into a fighting stance, the other Ronins having also called on their armors. The warrior looked them over approvingly.

"You truly are strong warriors," he said with a pleasant smile that quickly turned malign. "But I'm stronger."

The warrior extended his hand, and shadows formed around it, then into a staff, a blade...a scythe.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Shin murmured uneasily.

The warrior's eyes showed blatant amusement, having apparently heard Shin's remark.

"You should."

He moved faster than they thought was possibly for a person, Seiji barely having time to fend off the strike that instead of splitting him in two instead sent him flying into a nearby tree.

After the initial strike, a deadly, beautiful dance formed around the six warriors. As the battle unfolded, Ryo learned to respect the man as a warrior; not only because his fighting style was immaculate, but he also had a much longer range than any of them. Ryo was also alarmed to find that the warrior was wearing no armor, just subarmor.

Shu slid back, bracing himself on the ground, and snarled. "Iron Rock"

The warrior jammed the iron-shod point on the butt of his staff into Shu's stomach, breaking the armor, making Shu gasp blood, and sending him flying into a nearby stone wall. The warrior immediately swung his staff around and blocked Seiji's sword, throwing him off balance with a shove. Toma stepped a few paces back to get a clear shot, and as he loosed, the warrior elegantly sidestepped his arrow, then swiped Toma's feet from under him and with the side of his staff that had no blade cracked Toma's back, temporarily paralyzing him. He turned quickly on his heel and entangled his blade with Shin's yari. His smile was pure pleasure, making Shin balk. In that moment of hesitation, the warrior twisted hard on their weapons and Shin's arm muscles screamed as his yari was pulled out of his grip, and his helmet was sent flying along with his consciousness as the warrior's backswing caught Shin across the head. With elegant precision, the warrior broke both of Seiji's wrists before knocking him out. Ryo charged desperately and the warrior slammed his staff into him with enough force to embed him in a tree. As the world was spinning too fast for Ryo, the warrior walked languidly over to him and removed Ryo's helmet. The warrior reached out and gently wiped away the trickle of blood on Ryo's forehead as Ryo's eyes focused on him. Ryo gave a weak snarl and would have tried to find an escape route if the world hadn't been shifting so crazily beneath him.

"Ryo." The warrior's voice was a purr that caressed Ryo's senses, making him want to moan. The warrior's hand lightly traced the contours of Ryo's face before sliding down his neck and chest to settle over his heart. Black light gathered around his palm, and the armor shadowed by that hand began to darken from bright red to a dull, old-spilled blood color, slowly spreading. Ryo gasped. It burned cold on his chest, and he felt it begin to penetrate into his very soul. He could do nothing. He was lost in the warrior's deadly, entrancing eyes and his body ached. The warrior suddenly snarled and whirled, blocking Shu's attack. Shu was startled at the fathomless hatred in the warrior's eyes and stumbled backward, helped by a shove. Around him, he saw the other Ronins begin to get their feet back under themselves, and he snarled in frustration. The Ronin's shadows rose up and trapped them, pinning arms to sides and removing weapons. He looked over his shoulder at the now fiercely struggling Ryo and was please with the anger he saw in Ryo's eyes. He walked over so his face was a hair's breadth away from Ryo's, his lips lightly brushing Ryo's, his eyes boring into Ryo's soul, branding him.

"You will be mine."

Ryo's eyes were glassy and feverish, and he was panting. The warrior gave Ryo a ghost of a kiss, making Ryo shiver and crave more contact.

The warrior backed away smiling cruelly, kindly, and for a moment the Ronins were filled with a despair so deep that it seemed to steam from every memory, turning what had once been pleasure into pain. The warrior laughed and disappeared, and the Ronins were released from their shadows and his spell.

"Damn," Seiji muttered, and flexed his wrists, surprised to find that they were whole. Shin took off his helmet and winced. He was feeling nauseas from the headache that was making itself known.

"Doesn't pull his punches, does he?"

Shu examined his cracked armor and muttered darkly.

Toma slowly sat up, his whole body tingling. "Sheesh..."

"Ryo pulled himself out of the daze he always found himself in whenever he had been in contact with that frustrating, beautiful enigma and examined his armor. There was no obvious damage or discoloration, which confused him. Hadn't his armor been turning a different color? He realized someone, well, many someones, were calling his name.

"Ryo? Earth to Ryo," Shu said, waving his hand in front of Ryo's eyes. Ryo blinked, then swatted Shu's hand away.

"What?" He felt edgy. Like there was something else, someone else crawling into his skin.

"What did he do to you?" Toma asked, hobbling over, glad to be back on his feet.

Ryo looked down at his chest, searching for any indication of a darker red.

"He was changing the color of my armor. I felt so cold, but I was burning up from the inside." Ryo's armor glowed crimson, before he found himself back in civilian clothes. He winced, his body finally registering the abuse he had taken.

"Guys? can we forget about doing any shopping and just go home?"

Everyone agreed, and they turned around nursing wounded bodies and pride, lost in troubled thoughts.


	9. Sparring

__

Ryo...

It was a whisper, a caress

__

Ryo...

It was a longing, a demand

"RYO!"

Shu rolled Ryo out of bed to hit the floor with a thud. Ryo snarled and sat up, rubbing his head and glared up at an impatient Shu.

"C'mon! I'm starving," Shu growled and hauled Ryo to his feet. Ryo managed jeans and an undershirt before being dragged down the staircase. Ryo cursed inwardly, scowling. He did not need this today. He didn't spare Shin his look of annoyance, but retained enough manners to thank him for the food. He was glad that it wasn't his turn to wake Toma. He felt that if it had been, had Toma gotten hurt he would not have cared. As he put his dishes in the sink and climbed up the stairs to get fully dressed, he pondered a feeling of something other inside him.

'It's been this way since our last encounter with that man,' he thought as he changed into his school uniform. 'I don't know if I like sharing my body with someone.'

He shook his head and gathered his books, his annoyance slowly bleeding away.

The warrior's attacks continued, but they weren't what they thought of when someone said "Dynasty."

"His attacks are scattered, not focusing in any one place. And they're little things. An apartment complex here, a resturant there. No place we could reach quickly. Which is the worst part of it."

"And any police that arrive on the scene? No one hears from them again. Not even bodies are found. The National Guard is too slow."

"Damn, we really are the only chance."

"Obi Wan Kanobi, you're our only hope," mocked Yuu as he sat down next to Ryo, startling them with his presence. They hadn't heard him coming.

"Yuu! What're you doing here?"

"I eat with you guys, remember? Why should I change now?"

Ryo snickered at the astonished looks on the guy's faces. They had never beleieved him when he told them he never heard nor felt Yuu approach.

"How much did you hear?"

"Only the 'we really are the only chance.' I'm afraid we're all doomed if Shu is trying to save us."

Ryo chuckled and Shu glared.

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"Nothing, nothing! Just teasing you," Yuu said with a grin.

Shu growled in both confusion and frustration. He didn't want to hit Yuu, he liked him, but he deserved it.

Yuu checked his watch.

"We have some time. Since you look so pissed, why not spar, Shu?"

"What?"

"I can fight. I know some martial arts, and you look like you're itching to pound me. Why not see how good I am?"

Shu grinned. "I won't go easy on you."

"I never thought you would," commented Yuu dryly as he stood and brushed off the grass from his pants, then took his jacket off. He streached slightly, looking Shu over. Once he was warmed up, he slipped into a guard stance.

"You ready?"

Shu grinned. "Of course."

Yuu smiled polietly, then charged. His eyes were blank and flat, but he was always searching for an opening. His movements were beautiful and fluid, with no excess movement. Shu admired his technique, and found himself only able to block and barely maintain distance. The lunch period was winding down, and Yuu decided to end the match. He feinted, then swept Shu's legs out from under him, flipped him over onto his stomach, and held one of his arms back as he hit the ground.

"Do you yeild?" His voice was the same, but there was something in it, an undertone, that was vaugely familiar, but that Ryo couldn't place.

Shu managed to squeak out, "I yeild."

Yuu let him go, and Shu breathed heavily as he sat up.

Yuu hadn't even broken a sweat.

Yuu sighed gustily, and walked over to where Ryo was standing, ignoring the awe and confusion on his face as Yuu picked up his jacket.

"I never knew you could fight so well."

Yuu smiled wryly, bitterly. "It's a skill I don't like."

Ryo blinked. "Why?"

"Because it seems like I was born only to that skill."

"What?"

"Ever since I was a child, I already knew various form of martial arts. When my mother took me to a Karate dojo in our town, I qualified for blackbelt within a few days. Same with Judo, and all other things of the like. It is as if I was born to be a warrior, to fight, but I live in a world where it is no longer necessary to have my skills."

Yuu smiled sadly.

"That's why I'm not in any of the martial arts clubs. It wouldn't be fair."

Yuu shrugged into his jacket, ran a hand through his hair, smiled slightly at Ryo, bowed to the rest of the Ronins, and walked away.

Shu was stunned.

A thought slowly formed in Seiji's mind, and he turned it over a few times before discarding it. Impossible. One of them would have been able to tell.


	10. Not All Powerful, Are We?

The warrior leaned on the railing of the roof of a department store. He looked sleepy and satisfied as he watched the Ronins approach. His smile was of malign good humor as the doors opened and closed. He turned, wrapping shadows around him, disappearing.

Ryo froze, staring.

"What's the matter?" Shu asked, and forced his way around Ryo. He looked around and gasped. Shin, Toma, Seiji and Shu walked forward cautiously. It had been quiet for a while. They assumed that this was HIS fault, but they looked for anything else that might give a hint of some other explination. Strong hands pulled Ryo close to an armored body. Ryo gasped and tried to alert the others, but found his voice had left him.

"Hello again, my little flame," the warrior whispered in Ryo's ear, making Ryo shiver. The warrior kept Ryo close as the others fanned out, searching the store. Ryo was alarmed to see himself helping when he was sure that he was trapped in the warrior's embrace. He felt the metal digging into his back, after all.

"Have you missed me?"

Ryo shuddered at the smooth, musical tenor caressed his senses and dulled his ability to think. He gasped as he felt ice enter his veins.

"What are you doing?" he managed to whisper.

"Tell me, Ryo of the Wildfire. Have your friends truly done anything for you?"

"Of course!"

"Really? When you were separated after your first encounter with Talpa, you were the one that searched for them. You are the one who shoulders the burden of the Inferno armor, whose body and mind receive the most damage. When Talpa captured Seiji, Shu, and Shin you were the one who went after them."

"Toma helped!"

"Did he? How much could he really do? He didn't, still doesn't, have the strength of body, mind and soul that you do. that you do. You did all the fighting. You get hurt the most. Everyone depends on you to 'save the world'. Only you. Don't you wish that you didn't have all this responsibility? Don't you wish to be free of an obligations?"

"The guys would do everything for me that I did for them…"

The warrior's eyes flashed in triumph. He didn't sound sure.

"Why stay in a place where you are unappreciated and overworked?"

"I care for my friends…and this world! They appreciate me…"

"Hmph. This world is cruel. It doesn't care if you live or your body and mind are crushed. And your friends? Don't you think they should have noticed my illusion by now? Face it, Ryo. They don't _care_ enough to notice."

"NO!"

Ryo struggled and the warrior let him go, amusement in his dark eyes. The shadow within Ryo had been strengthened. It needed only a little more time to grow, to work its way free of the confines Ryo placed on himself.

Ryo's eyes blazed and he called on the power of his armor, and attacked. The warrior blocked with his scythe and fluidly reposed. The Ronins were unaware of the fight until one of Ryo's swords embedded itself in a pillar. Stunned, they looked at the illusion-Ryo who smiled wickedly and disappeared.

"Shit!"

Seiji pulled out Ryo's sword and they armored up as they ran to help their friend. They arrived just in time to have Ryo thrown at them, smaking into Seiji and Toma. The warrior stood there, lazily leaning on his scythe.

"What kept you?" his voice was cold, cruel, and beautiful, and his eyes sparkled in deadly amusement that threatened to engulf their souls.

Shu shook his head, snarled, and charged. An arrow whizzed past the warrior, opening a shallow cut in his cheek. The warrior ducked under Shu's strike and uppercut him, and he fell to the ground with a crash. The warrior used Shu's torso as a springboard, slaming his scythe into Seiji. Shin collected himself and unleashed his ultimate attack. The warrior smiled and the power swiftly turned from blue/white to black/silver and was reflected back onto Shin. The warrior looked at Seiji calmly. Seiji screamed and fell to his knees, holding his head. The warrior raised his scythe and flawlessly performed Seiji's ultimate attack on Toma. He smiled and gasped when Ryo's sword poked through his chest. He stared for a moment and Ryo withdrew it. Ryo smiled grimly as the warrior fell to his knees.

"Not so all-powerful, are we?"

"Not entirely, no."

Ryo was stunned to hear him answer. The warrior slowly stood again, using his scythe as a staff.

"You should be dead!"

The warrior smiled calmly, almost in pity, and tsked, shaking his head.

"Poor little Ronin Warrior…"

Ryo gasped as the warrior roughly pulled him close.

"Listen, my little firebug. I will not die until I make you mine. Mind, soul, power…and body."

Ryo shivered, not liking that last suggestion.

The warrior lightly kissed Ryo's forehead before calling in dark, unforgiving energy into Ryo who screamed in pain, panic, fear, and a feeling of joy within him unfurled. As suddenly as it appeared, it, the power, and the warrior, were gone.


	11. The Other Self

Yuu was mildly confused, to say the least. All of his new-found friends were not acting like themselves. They all seemed…

'Depressed. That's what they are. Depressed.'

Yuu approached Ryo, and sat down on the edge of his desk, making Ryo look up.

"Hi."

"Hi. Ryo, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look so haggard."

"I have had…bad dreams…"

"Is that why you're tired?"

"Yes and no."

"I'm guessing that's the best answer I'm going to get out of you."

Ryo gave a half-hearted smile.

"Yuu, do you ever feel, sometimes, like you're someone else?"

Yuu paused, thinking. "Sometimes, yes."

Ryo was exhaltant. Someone who felt the same way!

"Like what…?"

"Hm? Oh, how do I feel? Well, it's been like a…disease, since I can first remember. Sometimes there are streaches of time, whole days occasionally, when I can't remember a thing I've done. It's like I was put to sleep and someone was using my body. When I talked to people they told me all about the stuff I hadn't done. It was…is…disconcerting."

"Why? Have you had some recently?"

"Yeah, but only for a couple nights a week."

"You call that minor?"

"Yes. One time, I slept for nearly a month."

"Oh…"

Yuu smiled sadly. "Look, it's stupid to feel sorry for myself. Why? How do you feel?"

"It's nothing as bad as you."

"Very little is."

"Ha. It's not like it's outside of myself, it's something WITHIN me that's burning me. It's a fire that never goes out. It's torturing and tantalizing at the same time. I hate it, but I want to find out what it is, WHO it is."

"You think it's not yourself?"

"No, see, they scary part is that I feel like it is. Like it's a part of me…yet not."

"I see…"

Yuu ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair, thinking.

"Is there anything you can suggest I do?"

"Accept it."

"What?"

"If it's that much a part of you, why fight it? You might need to learn something from it. You never know..."

Ryo thought over these words. Yuu watched him, and was alarmed by the decision he saw in Ryo's eyes.

"You're going to do something dangerous, aren't you?"

"Yuu...there have been many times I should have died. I don't think this is that dangerous compared to those few moments..."

Yuu was slightly startled, but a dark, almost gleeful darkness entered his eyes.

"Be careful, Ryo. You don't want to get burned."


	12. Resistance Is Futile

Author: ahhahahaha. Thank you all so much for your comments. Yes, even you Ada. I love you all, but also want to let you know: I am not afraid of Shounen-ai, and if you are against the whole man/man thing, then leave. There are lots of little bits of action(but no sex. I'm keeping the PG-13 rating, damnit). Otherwise, enjoy. and keep on commenting!

Ryo stepped off the bus, pulling his coat around him, cursing for not bringing heavier clothing. His excuse for being in Akihabara was that there was a piece of electronics of his that had gone haywire, and he needed the materials to fix it.

He was really there because he felt that he would find the warrior here. No reason to his feeling, but he knew that he would find that dark, captivating, evil warrior in Akihabara.

He smiled at the bright neon lights, casting stark shadows on buildings and on people. He thought that he somehow created more that the average amount of shadow, but that didn't really bother him. He browsed through sidewalk displays, meandering with no particular direction. He stopped suddenly, and looked up. On the roof of a small store, he saw a shadow within the shadows and turned towards it. He silently made his way up the stairs of the store, and eventually stepped out onto the roof. He slowly approached, and was amused to find him dressed in civilian clothes.

"We meet again, my little flame."

Ryo's breath caught. "How do you do this to me?"

The warrior turned, amusement in his body language. "What do you mean?"

"Every time I'm around you I'm filled with anger...but attraction. What is it about you that draws me to you? What have you done to me! Who am I now?"

The warrior smiled. "I've found that all people are attracted to me, but for a number of reasons." As he talked, the warrior approached Ryo with no haste. "Some crave my voice. Others obsess over my eyes, my hair, my physique. And yet others...like yourself...are drawn to everything I am. Not just my body, but you feel the power, the darkness that runs through my veins."

Ryo suddenly noticed that the warrior was much to close.

"And within you, an answering energy responds. You want me with all your being Ryo Sanada. You want me because I promise you freedom."

"I'm already free, though."

"Not really. Society has put so many rules on you. What to wear, what to do, how to act, who to fall in love with. It defines your morals, your values, your interests. Come with me Ryo."

The warrior raised Ryo's right hand to his lips. "I will give you everything you want."

Ryo wavered. The darkness within him rejoiced at the touch, and reached out for the warrior. Unknowingly, Ryo also reached out, pulling the warrior down to look into his eyes. He saw not only the cold cruelness, but also an agelessness, a timelessness.

"You're immortal, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

The warrior leaned in so that their lips were just touching, but Ryo didn't push away. The warrior was right. Something within him called out to this dark presence before him. The warrior saw Ryo Sanada be overwhelmed by the shadow he had awoken, and when the warrior kissed Ryo gently at first, but growing in passion, the last light of "goodness" was extinguished and the Shadow returned the hunger in the kiss.


	13. A New Name

Shin was sitting up, worried. He knew that Ryo could take care of himself, but he had been having an uneasy feeling. He felt that Ryo was different. He knew that people's personalities changed from time to time, but this felt...different. This was not a simple shift in Ryo...this was almost like...a revolution. He was changing. Drifting away from his friends. Ryo, who usually was close with everyone. Shin sighed and rubbed his temples.

'This is not good...' Shin eventually stood, looked at the clock and gave up trying to stay awake. He went upstairs to his room and collapsed on his bed.

Ryo slowly opened his eyes, mildly confused. It wasn't the ceiling of his room. And shouldn't Shu have been here earlier? It felt late.

"It's almost noon," said the voice that he both craved and feared to hear. He slowly sat up, and was relieved to find himself clothed. He looked around, and approved. The room was tasteful, and some of the things in it he knew had to be very old. He stood and almost fell over. The warrior caught him, and Ryo leaned against him.

"You shouldn't try to move so quickly."

"Why?" Ryo closed his eyes, not caring about the answer. He hadn't noticed how good the warrior smelled before...

"Because you're tired from the transport from Earth to my home."

"Your home..." Ryo frowned. He remembered something. This room seemed to strike a cord of remembrance, but he couldn't place how or why he would have come here. Another thought dawned on Ryo.

"I can't keep on calling you 'the warrior'. What's your name?"

There was a long silence before he answered, "Kisu no Shintenshi."

Ryo turned the name over in his mind, then gasped. "Kiss of the _Deathangel_?"

"Indeed," Kisu purred as he pushed Ryo back onto the bed. Ryo stared up at him, but was quickly lost in the deep, soothing energy he felt wash through him.

"Wha...?"

"Sleep, my firebug."

Ryo wanted to protest, but the suggestion in his voice and the magic and his own body's needs let him drift into unconsciousness.

Kisu smiled faintly and tucked the blankets around the sleeping man.

"You're mine now," he whispered and brushed Ryo's bangs. When the symbol for "righteousness" glowed on Ryo's forehead, he voiced a soft snarl. "You're not a Ronin Warrior anymore, my flame. You're _mine_. You're my Darkfire." He pondered his own words, then smiled. He kissed Ryo's forehead, and whispered something. The glow of "righteousness" faded to be replaced with a new one that glowed the deep crimson of dried blood. "Malice." Kisu smirked and looked over at Ryo's armor ball that was resting on a nearby table. It too glowed a steady deep crimson. He chuckled nothing "good" in that melodious sound at all.

"You're no longer Ronin Warrior of the Wildfire and Inferno. You're the Warlord of Darkfire, and all of humanity will bow before you." He gently stroked Ryo's cheek, and grew thoughtful.

"You deserve a new name for a new life." He thought for a moment before smiling malignly. "Kage. Your name is now Kage."


	14. Secrets and Plans

It had been nearly a week, and they were running out of excuses to explain Ryo's absence.

"This is _not_ good," Seiji sighed.

"How can we find him? I mean, I know he's defeated evil warlords and stuff before, but his guy doesn't seem to be like anyone we've ever faced."

"He's right...he doesn't seem immediately bent on total world control, though I highly suspect that is his ultimate goal."

"I guess it makes sense to go after Ryo first...the Inferno armor and all..."

"Maybe, but as I've pointed out before, he seems to want RYO, not the armor that Ryo bears."

Shin shifted nervously. "Did you guys notice anything...strange?...about Ryo?"

"No, not really."

Seiji shook his head.

Shu grinned. "What isn't strange with Ryo?"

Shin gave a weak smile.

"There haven't been any attacks."

"Maybe because he's off having his wicked way with Ryo."

Everyone jumped and stared at Yuu who was leaning casually on a nearby tree.

"Wha, what?"

Yuu grinned. "You guys can't keep anything secret, can you?"

Seiji looked at him hard. "What do you mean?"

Yuu gave him a dry look as he brushed the buds that were forming on the tree. "I've been around you long enough to get the jist of your lives. You're the 'Ronin Warriors,' whatever that may mean. I think you had something to do with the hush-hush over what happened in Tokyo, what, last year? And Ryo is gone because of the mass murderer that's been running around Tokyo, right?" Yuu gave a wry smile. "Though I had hoped he'd've had better taste than that."

Shu bristled.

Seiji was wary.

Toma was thoughtful.

Shin was concerned. "How much more do you know about us?"

"Enough," Yuu said with a shrug. "I haven't told anyone anything, if that's what you're worried about. You're still my friends. I don't betray my friends' trust."

Shin relaxed. "Okay..."

"Why don't I help you look for him?"

Seiji started. "What?"

"The murderer won't know about me, will he? I'm no one important. I can look in places where you'll be conspicuous."

Toma thought this over. "Sounds like a solid idea to me."

After a slight hesitation, everyone else agreed.

Yuu smiled happily. "I'll do my best!"

Kage sat at the fire, warming himself. True, it had been a week outside of this house, but his body was still recovering. It wasn't fun traveling the realmns without your own inner protection. Another's barriers only go so far. The arms that wrapped around him held within them a warmth all their own that seeped into every fiber of Kage's being. Kisu sat behind Kage, holding him close.

"You should be ready to go back into the mortal world soon. Your inner defenences should be strong enough by then."

Kage smiled and leaned back, nuzzling Kisu's neck. "Sounds fun. We want to bring the Ronins on our side, right? That way there's no real resistance after them, right?"

"Correct."

Kage thought as he watched the flames dance. "How?"

"Why don't you observe the Ronins first? Then we can decide."

"Don't you have a plan?"

"Of course. But I want you to agree."

"So diplomatic."

"Only because you're going to rule the world. You need to make your own decisions. I can suggest, but I can't make you do."

Kage smiled and closed his eyes.

"Tomorrow. I'll go back into the human realmn and find them, and observe. I'll decide from there."


	15. Return of Ryo

Kage sat down on a bench near the lake, contemplating his next actions. He had to get close with the Ronins SOMEHOW. Else he wouldn't know how to fight them correctly. But, damn! They were going to be wary. If only...

"RYO!"

Kage jumped and looked over his shoulder in time to see Shu sprinting over towards him.

'But I'm not...! Wait...'

Shu reached him, panting.

"Ryo where have you BEEN!" he yelled and shook Kage's shoulders. Kage was bewildered at first, then snarled and shoved him off.

"What the hell! Why'd you do that?"

"It's been nearly two weeks Ryo! WHERE WERE YOU!"

Kage looked uncertain. This guy, Shu of Hardrock, thought he was Ryo of the Wildfire. An idea dawned on him and he quenched a malign smirk, and instead looked down and away.

"I..."

"Shu! Why'd you run off like that?"

Seiji walked up behind Shu.

"It's like you saw a...Ryo!"

Kage blinked. Did he _really _look that much like Wildfire? He showed some hesitation again, which, of course, made Seiji concerned, then wary.

"Are you really Ryo?"

Kisu, help me! I have an idea!

"Yes..." his voice was unsteady, but unmistakably Ryo's.

"How can I be sure?"

Kage/Ryo sighed faintly. "You, Seiji Date, always are the fourth one down for breakfast each morning because you have to spend nearly an hour getting that hair of yours to stay put. You _reek_ of hairspray when you come down. Which is why no one sits within arm's length of you. They'd die of toxic fumes. It also spoils the flavor of Shin's food." He paused and licked his lips. "Which I could go for right now. And you, Shu, are the bastard who _throws me out of my bed onto the cold HARD floor_ every morning to wake me up! Wish I could do the same to you!" Ryo glared at Shu.

Shu stared, then laughed.

Seiji smiled in relief. Only Ryo would know those things. No Dynasty warlord ever could. Not unless they had LIVED with them. Which, he was certain, none ever had.

"Come on, Ryo. Let's go home."

Toma didn't believe Seiji and Shu when they insisted that the person sitting in front of him was Ryo. Ryo was drinking some tea while he waited for Toma's questioning. Ryo got tired of waiting before Toma did.

"I'm stuck waking you up every Wednesday and Saturday, which is usually done by pulling all the covers off of you and dropping a large bucket full of ice on the middle of your back. I have hidden your sugar stash no less than twelve times, and you've always found it, much to our collective dismay. You like Pixie Stix the best, but any other kind of straight, flavored sugar is just as good. There. Proof enough?" Ryo had found his temper was shorter than it had been. But it didn't matter. He was away from that man...and the intoxication that he felt whenever near him. There was still the presence of the Other within him, but he was quiet. Ryo sighed as Toma's eyes widened and he thought this over. He then broke into a smile.

"It's good to have you back."

"Have who...RYO!" Shin dropped the grocery bags and ran over. "I don't believe this!"

Toma gave a wry smile. "It's the real Ryo. No one else could tell me how he tortures me into wakefulness."

Shin sighed in relief. If Toma, Seiji, and Shu were all convinced, and since he didn't want his own life told to him, he accepted what they said.

"Ryo, where have you _been_?"

Ryo hesitated. "Remember when I went to Akihabara to pick up some supplies?"

"Yes."

"While there I met our warrior. His name...I found out his name, but I can't remember it." Ryo was perplexed. He had a good memory. "Anyway. He...um...ahahaha. He forced me (not a good cover-up, but it'll work) into going with him to the Dynasty after a short battle...damn, he's a good warrior...and beyond that...I can't really remember. Everything after that is...blank." This also perplexed Ryo. He should remember! He had done something, he was sure of that. This lapse made him nervous. And since the rest of the Ronins saw that, they accepted when he said he couldn't remember anything. They could tell it wasn't an act.

"Well, maybe you'll remember later. But for now, it's good to have you back."

Kage looked out the window of Ryo's room, listening to the even breathing of the other Warriors. It had been so easy. Then again, they wanted him back so badly. He, unlike Ryo, didn't mind having to share a body. It was inconvenient, but he was stronger than Ryo. If he needed to take over, he could, and would. He gently touched the window, watching ice crystals form around his palm in the warm night. Oh, this was going to be _fun_.


	16. Bright Pink Treachery

Ryo woke up, groggily aware and grateful that today was a day off. No Shu throwing him to the ground. He slowly sat up, and winced. He had a nasty headache.

'It's as if someone's been digging around in my brain', he thought darkly. He didn't like that, didn't like the possibilities it posed. He shook his head, regretted it, and reluctantly lurched to his feet. At least he had a day to settle back into the pace of things, try to catch up on what he had missed. It was going to be a very, very long day. He hated asking Toma's help, but since he was admittedly the smartest of them, he had little other choice. He shrugged into jeans and a loose, button-down shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. He recoiled, though he couldn't say from what. He went closer and gave a small, choked laugh. Nothing. It was still him. The reflection was his, his own. No one else's. He turned towards the kitchen and Shin's off-key singing and Kage watched from the mirror, laughing silently.

"G'mornin," Ryo yawned and Shin smiled. Ryo had never been able to figure out what kept Torrent running.

He assumed it was large quantities of caffeine taken where they didn't see.

"You're the first one down this morning."

"Not Shu?"

"Nope. You had retired to your room before Yuu came, and it appears that he kept Shu at it for quite a while. I went to bed at 11 and they were still working."

Ryo covered a huge yawn. "Mhmm..."

Shin chuckled and gave him a full plate: eggs, toast, and bacon with a glass of orange juice beside. Ryo fell on it with ferocity. He was surprised at his own hunger. It was as if he was feeding two people! He was getting as bad as Shu. He smiled at Shin after his second serving, who regarded him thoughtfully before smiling back.

"Seiji's coming down."

Ryo sniffed the air and winced. "Yup."

Seiji walked in and Ryo swallowed hard. The hair spray seemed particularly pungent today. Then again, everything else seemed sharper too. The food was more flavorful, and he could feel every movement of the wind. Was this supposed to happen?

'I guess it's an aftereffect of...him.'

Ryo was content to listen to Seiji and Shin's conversation and grinned as he heard Shu coming down the stairs with loud thunking footsteps. He stood, putting his dishes in the sink before going into the parlor and sighing. He was going to have a mountain of work in order to catch up. But since today was his last day of a kind of freedom, he might as well relax and get used to the human world again. He plunked down on the couch and smiled. It felt good to be back home.

'They say it's been almost two weeks since I left...but why don't I remember most of it. I remember waking up in his room...I've seen that room before...and...and...' Ryo sighed inwardly. 'How does he do it? How does he manage to...seduce me?'

__

It's one of his charms.

Ryo sat up straighter, wary. 'Who said that?'

Only silence met his question.

Ryo shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and maybe bring back some memories. He didn't like having someone else beside himself in his body. He wasn't sure about the Other yet, wasn't sure what he meant to do or be. So, for now, he'll try to become 'normal' again and quiet the Other down.

Ryo laid his head down on the counter with a thunk. His head throbbed, his vision blurred, and every morning he woke up more tired than when he went to bed. He smelled the food Shin placed before him, lifted his head, and was about to take a bite when a very, very loud yell echoed through the house. Ryo looked up, Shin jumped, and Shu continued eating. Seiji came storming down the stairs and Shin, Ryo, and Shu stared. After a few moments of silence, the three began laughing hysterically. Seiji fumed.

"It's not funny! Which of you did this?"

Toma yawned, blinked, the had to lean against the stairway wall to keep from falling over as he cracked up. Seiji snarled.

"You...you all..."

Seiji's mouth worked for a moment, but he couldn't find the right words to express his anger, so instead he glowered at them. The other Ronins began laughing even harder, because it's hard to take a guy seriously when his hair is dyed bright, neon pink with residue color on his shoulders and towel. Seiji made a small, annoyed noise and stalked up the stairs, pushing a laughing Toma to the ground.

"Oh...wow..." Shu wiped his eyes. "That's...jeez..." He was breathless with laughter.

Shin was breathing deeply, trying to calm down.

Ryo was still chuckling slightly, and his eyes were a blue so bright that it hurt to look him in the eyes.

Toma staggered over to the table and slouched into a chair, breathing hard.

Ryo's eyes faded to ice-blue again as he calmed down, and he smiled slightly.

Shu grinned. "I wonder how he's going to cover it up in school. He disdains hats."

Shin shrugged as he cleaned up. "He'll figure out something."

Shu finished scarfing his food and put his dishes in the sink as he choked down the last morsels. Ryo gathered his books and shook his head in amusement. Even after only a few days back home, things were becoming interesting again. He hesitated for a moment, as a small snippet of dream flitted through his mind, only recalling small bits of color. He usually dreamed in black and white, so any color was remarkable. He couldn't remember most of it, so he shrugged it off and flung his bookbag over his shoulder and walked outside, waiting for Shu and Toma with Shin.

Kage snickered as Seiji arrived late after a hasty trip to the supermarket for hair dye and a quick stop home. He watched as Seiji glared at Shu and kept his eyes carefully on his paper when Seiji's venemous gaze rested on him. He listened to the hasty, made-up explination and sighed happily. His work was off to a good start. The mistrust he was starting to cultivate would make it easy to pick off the Warriors in time. Now, how to turn Toma against them? Kage sank back down into Ryo's mind, listening to his thoughts and dozing.


	17. The Other's Name

Ryo moaned. So much catching up to do! Shin smiled in sympathy and set a cup of strong coffee before him. Ryo murmured his thanks and looked disdainfully at his mountain of catch-up work.

_I can help you._

Ryo jumped a little, and looked around. Who had said that? A voice flitted through his mind.

_I can help you._

Why? How? Who are you?

_I can help you._

What?

"I can help you, Ryo. You look confused."

Ryo started, and looked up at Toma, before smiling in relief.

"Yeah…thanks."

Toma sat down and Kage watched, amused at Ryo's relief. It was fun to make Ryo panic. Now, he just had to wait…

Toma glowered across the table at Shu, who scowled back. Seiji ignored them, and Shin and Ryo sat there, bewildered. Shin made halting attempts at conversation, but Ryo became quickly annoyed at the silence and anger that was in the air.

"What's going on?"

Toma glared. "Someone raided The Stash and THEN stole my homework to copy it."

Shu snarled. "He blames me!"

"I found everything in your room!"

"And I told you I don't know how it got there! I don't sleepwalk."

"There's evidence! You're guilty."

Shu stood quickly, every line of his body vibrating fury. "I don't need to steal your homework OR your food. I do things on my own, and your taste in candy sucks." Shu turned, grabbed his bag, opened the door, and slammed it behind him. Toma made a cynical remark, put his dishes in the sink, then walked upstairs to get his stuff together. Seiji left silently, and Shin and Ryo looked at each other.

"This isn't good."

Kage sighed happily. Things were going well. He'd read more of Ryo's history and nap, before causing more trouble. Three days seemed long enough. He was impatient; he wanted to fight them. But playing mind games with them was fun. He knew the benefits of caution, and so sank contentedly into the recesses of Ryo's mind.

Tempers slowly began to cool, and Ryo was oddly relieved. The sense of the Other within himself was quiet, so he began to relax. When he saw Yuu again, he felt Him stir, but aside from that, he felt nothing.

Of course, the peace didn't last long.

The warrior's attacks began again, leaving the Ronins frustrated.

"I had hoped he'd be gone for good." Seiji sighed.

Shin shook his head slowly. "It was too good to last."

Shu grinned maniacally. He wanted to fight him again. He'd been training, so he was certain he could kick some bad guy ass.

Ryo shifted uneasily. He had nor forgotten their last encounter.

"You okay, Ryo?"

Ryo looked at Shin, and nodded slightly. "I'm fine."

Toma regarded Ryo skeptically, but shrugged.

"We have to stop him."

"This time, we're looking for him together."

The Ronins found that they didn't have to look far, hard, or long. He was lounging in front of the school gates, shadows dancing around him. They gasped and he laughing, making Kage moan and Ryo breathless. He looked around and saw the warrior's presence affected the others, though not as strongly.

"They're not dead. Not yet."

Shu snarled, but it was a weak sound that died in the ears, unlike the warrior's voice. The warrior made eye contact with Ryo, and he felt himself falling. As he fell, he felt the Other surge upward, and wrapped Ryo in darkness.

"Ryo?"

"Ryo? What's wrong?"

Kage opened his eyes and shook his head, feeling sleepy and insubstantial. He fell to his knees, unable to stand.

'Damn. He's stronger than I thought. Even when he isn't conscious, he fights.'

"Ryo!" Shin knelt down beside him, then glared at the warrior.

"What did you do to him?"

The warrior shrugged and smiled.

"Do you want to fight here? School will be starting soon. Do you want to risk so many lives? I don't mind."

Shu wavered, Seiji glared, wary, and Shin stood in front of Kage protectively.

"Get out of here."

The warrior raised his eyebrows at Shin's command. "Oh? Why?"

Shin shifted into a fighting stance. "Now."

The warrior looked into Shin's eyes, and he paled and began to shake but resolutely stayed standing. The warrior smiled affectionately at him, making him swallow hard. Somehow it was more cruel than kind. The warrior let Shin go, and he fell to his knees, breathing hard. The warrior looked at Kage, his eyes unreadable.

"The brighter the flame, the darker the shadow. Remember that, my firebug."

The warrior turned towards the school and disappeared, and the bright, unbearable blue eyes of Kage faded to the ice of Ryo's.

"I have a nasty headache," Ryo murmured. Shin gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Same here."

They helped each other stand, and watched as the whispering, confused masses walked past them, and when they opened the door, they screamed. Ryo shivered.

"He lied."

"What?"

"_He lied!"_

Ryo sprinted to the front of the crowd and gave a strangled cry. The people who had been in the school when they were talking with the warrior lay on the floor, lifeless. Ryo leaned against the wall, appalled.

"Before it didn't affect us directly. They were nameless, faceless people. Even when he attacked us, it was only us. These are…people we know. People we liked. He's…he's…"

_Deadly. Dangerous. Cruel. But so beautiful. So intoxicating…_

Ryo nodded absently, agreeing. He knew the guys were talking, but felt the Other within him, felt his knew things, and had a power of his own. He could almost attach a name…

"_Kage_…" he breathed, his eyes wide.

"What?"

Ryo shook his head quickly, decisively. "Nothing. Nevermind. Ah…what's going to be done now…about…this…?"


	18. Plans

Ryo stared up at the bedroom ceiling, thinking. Who was Kage? Was Kage the Mr. Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll? Who was he exactly? Ryo sighed, pushed himself up, stood, and stretched. He turned to his mirror and stared. The reflection was his and yet…not. His reflection smirked and Ryo gasped.

"Are you…?"

_Kage? Yup._

"How…what…how can you…?"

_Why so startled? I've been with you all the time. I'm a part of you. When you say my name, it feels like you're saying your own, right? You and I are the same person. But soon…I will be in control, not you._

Ryo smashed the mirror, glad the guys were out. He heard Kage's…his…laugh echo in his mind.

"This can't be happening…"

_Too bad._

Kage drummed his fingers on the desk as Ryo strained to follow the math lesson. It had been a week since Kisu had killed people in the school. He had taken the words Kisu had said and was slowly gaining strength over Ryo. He could now control Ryo's body without alerting Ryo. He was getting good at it. A smirk tugged at his lips which he quickly quelled. That would give him away. He had continued playing small pranks, but nothing major. Just enough to annoy. But, in order to claim both mind and body, he'd have to get Ryo to feel frustrated, useless, and hate. Then Ryo would be his, and he would be free to wreck havoc. He was almost done reading Ryo's history, and he had been endlessly amused.

'Sheer stubbornness is all that has gotten him through life.'

As Ryo plotted the downfall of trigonometric derivatives, Kage planned Ryo's.

Kage opened his eyes and smiled. Ryo was asleep, so he had free roam. He stood, stretched, looked quickly into the mirror to be certain Ryo was asleep, and changed into regular clothes. He paused at the door and listened with both his mind and ears, making certain that the rest of the household was sleeping. Satisfied that they were, he grimaced and walked through the door, emerging on the other side without a sound. He stood and thought. He had to get Ryo frustrated. He reached into the jean's pocket and withdrew the armor ball, and his eyes widened.

"Perfect..." he breathed.

He replaced the deep, almost black, crimson ball in his pocket and went down the stairs. If Ryo battled, he would be useless. The armor was no longer Wildfire. It hadn't been since he had spent time with Kisu. He, Kage, was in control of the armor, so Ryo wouldn't be able to call it without letting him take over. And once that was done, he had no intention of helping, no matter how Ryo pleaded. But how else could he work on Ryo…?

He quietly left the house and walked towards the lake, humming softly to himself. Once he reached the lake he whispered a few words and a large, Dynasty Gate wavered into reality before him.

Kisu, I need you.

The door opened enough to allow one person out before disappearing, leaving a dark figure walking across the water to him.

"Yes?"

Kage shivered at the sound of his voice and the gentle touch on his cheek.

"I need advice and ideas. I've been learning who Ryo is, his secrets, and the Ronin's secrets. I have control of his body when I need to, but to ensnare his mind and make him mine I need him to feel malign, to hate, to be frustrated with himself and with his friends, and to make him useless. But who should I make him hate? It can't be me, because I won't be able to join with him then…"

"Yuu."

"What?"

"You can make him hate Yuu. And I'll be happy to help."

"How?"

"Color how Ryo sees him. Twist the words in his mind. Admiration can turn to envy, which can turn to hate. If you're careful and skillful, it won't take long. This tactic can also be applied to the other Ronins…after all, Shu and he argue a lot…it'll be easy to fan the flame then."

Kage thought, then smiled. "Sounds good."

"Start working, and I'll attack in two days."

"Alright."

As Kage turned to leave, Kisu grabbed his wrist.

"I don't give my help for free."

"So?"

Kisu pulled Kage close to him, and looked into his eyes. "You owe me. I won't collect now, but remember that you have a debt to me."

He kissed Kage lightly, then smiled wickedly.

"But for now, that will do."

Kage watched him leave, trying to catch his breath and calm his body as Kisu disappeared into the Dynasty.

"Damn…"

Kage turned and walked back to the house, filled with purpose and desire.

The next day was the first time Kage saw Yuu and his sense of shock clashed with Ryo's happiness, leaving them both bewildered.

"What's wrong, Ryo? You look dazed."

"N-nothing. Just have a small cold."

Kage wasted no time, and began to poison Yuu's words.

_He thinks you're stupid._

Does not!

_Dazed isn't exactly complimentary. In being as confused as it means, it also implies that you aren't exactly intelligent._

You're wrong! I'm…smart…

Every phrase of Yuu's was picked apart and filtered by Kage, leaving Ryo annoyed and flustered at the end of school. Kage quieted down for after-school, evening, and night, but after noon the next day, Kage randomly presented Ryo with every bad experience and mistake he had ever made. Ryo swung between annoyance at Yuu and annoyance at himself. Shin noticed, and asked for the reason for Ryo's behavior, but Ryo snapped at him, his eyes a little brighter blue than they had been before.


	19. Tokyo Tower

The Ronins were in Tokyo Tower, babysitting Jun, who had been dumped on Naste, and in turn, dumped on them. They owed Naste anyway. And it was a subtle form of revenge for her, which they all knew and dealt with.

"Guys, look at this!"

Shin feigned interest, and Ryo scowled at the city landscape.

'Everyone's being so...annoying lately. It's like the littlest things that I used to deal with well are ticking me off. I'm getting as bad as Shu with my temper...well, maybe I always was, but just better at restraining it.'

His eyes focused on the plexi-glass and he jumped. Kage was looking back at him, a small, smug, satisfied look on his face. That made him nervous. Although he heard nothing, he could tell when Kage began to laugh, and as he felt the wave of amusement rise within himself, making him want to laugh with the same malign glee, the lights in the tower and surrounding districts all shut off, leaving only a faint golden glow in the distance. The Ronins then felt something slither around them, under them, something elusive and disgusting.

****

I've given you some of my pets to play with, Ronin Warriors. IF you win I will spare...most...of these people.

"All! You will spare all of them!"

****

Tsk, tsk, Shu of Hardrock. This is my game you're playing. Have fun!

The lights of the building and districts suddenly flared up, temporarily blinding the warriors. When their vision cleared, Ryo desperately hoped he wouldn't throw up. A large adult wyvern and a Hell Hound were tearing apart a tourist, blood flying onto the walls and splattering on the Ronins. They watched, spellbound and horrified. The Hound caught their scent and turned and looked at them, growling deep within its throat as blood dripped down from its jaws. They wyvern licked the blood off its mouth then gave an ear-piercing shriek, waking the Ronins from their stupor. Shin, Shu, Toma, and Seiji quickly transformed into their armor, scared but resolute. Ryo took out his armor ball, determined...and couldn't transform. Not even into subarmor. He tried again, and failed. He watched his friends, desperate. His eyes were wide with fear, and it was almost as if he felt every blow done on them. He felt Shu being thrown against the metal and wood, cracking the plexi-glass. Pounds of muscle, flesh, and anger landing squarely on Seiji's chest as he put his sword between his body and certain death, preventing the Hound from tearing out his throat. He was mesmerized by the battle, and felt Kage curl up from inside him.

__

Why aren't you helping, Ryo? You're their leader.

Shut up!

__

Why aren't you transforming?

Only silence met Kage's words. He laughed and Ryo gave a weak snarl.

You know why.

__

I do. Your armor is mine.

Ryo's breath caught, and he felt cold.

Impossible!

__

Your armor is no longer the Wildfire. It's mine. It's the Darkfire.

No! You're lying!

__

If you want to fight, I'll have to take over.

Ryo fell to his knees, absorbed in his inward conversation, ignoring the world. It was slowly fading, becoming less real.

I can't let you. I don't want to loose myself.

__

Then you condemn your friends to Death.

But you'll only help kill them!

__

True.

Then what CAN I do?

__

Nothing. Face it. YOU'RE USELESS.

Ryo watched the fight, slowly sinking into despair and darkness. When Ryo felt the weakest, Kage pushed him away and took over. He opened his eyes and smiled, standing slowly. He was already clothed in his subarmor.

"Perfect," he breathed, pleased to hear his own voice and not Ryo's.

He languidly walked closer, and gently placed his hand beneath the wyvern's wing, making it stop, and whistled, bringing the Hound over to him, which growled, sniffed him, and then sat down next to him, red eyes fixed on the Ronins, who were getting up and gathering.

Seiji regarded Kage, wary. He was obviously a warrior. He wore subarmor, so he could use armor like they could. But how could he stop those two creatures? Sure, he and the others had done some damage. One of the wyvern's wings was useless, and a long gash was slowly bleeding acidic blood down its left thigh. One of the Hound's eyes was missing, and two arrows were embedded near its spine. But it didn't seem to slow them down. And now this man was able to command them. Toma, his voice, harsh, soft, and careful, slowly asked,

"Who...are you?"

Kage smiled at them, his violently blue eyes cold, and said nothing for a moment.

"Kage."

Shin stared. That name sounded familiar. Then again, there was a lot about this person that felt eerily familiar, and he wracked his brain for any clue as to where he had seen him before.

Kage smiled at them, and gently stroked the wyvern's chest. It breathed in deeply and then spewed flames at the warrior, with added power from Kage. Shu, Toma, and Seiji scattered, leaving Shin there to ward off the flames as only he could. Kage watched him until the wyvern ran out of fire. Kage grinned, then lunged as Shin was recovering. He tackled him to the ground, and Shin landed on his left arm, hard, a snapping noise following the fall. Shin's face turned pale from pain and Kage looked at him, his eyes gentle and violating.

"I think I'll start with you."

None of the warriors dared attack while Kage was so close to Shin, and the two animals regarded the scene with mild curiosity.

Shin snarled and swung his good arm up to hit Kage, who nimbly pushed himself out of the way before stepping on Shin's diaphragm, making his gasp for air. He ducked under Seiji's stroke and caught his arm, throwing him over his shoulder and into Shu. He backed up into the Hound and smiled at them. He spoke one word to the Hound before it howled and attacked, the wyvern not too far behind.

He sighed inwardly. Even with his help, the Ronins were going to win. So sad. He felt Ryo stir within him, angered, and smiled faintly. He sat down in the illusion he had placed of Ryo, and watched, amused by Ryo's struggle.

__

See? Your friends don't need you. They're winning this without you.

No! Stop...

__

See? I'm right, aren't I?

Ryo watched as Shin staggered to his feet, eyes grim and face pale. He waited, yari down, as the wyvern charged. At the last moment, he swung up with all his might and tore it from stomach to chin, stopping it mid-shriek. He didn't flinch as its blood burned his skin, but watched it with distaste as it melted into shadows.

The Hound was overwhelmed with three angry warriors trying to kill it. It collapsed from blood loss from the dozens of wounds it had sustained, and Seiji cut its head off, just to be sure. As it faded in a flare of fire, Kage receded, leaving a bewildered Ryo facing his friends, still in street clothes. He immediately jumped to his feet and ran to his friends.

"Guys..."

"Where were you, Ryo?"

Ryo flinched, then snarled in frustration. "I couldn't transform..."

"What?" Shin walked over, his left arm handing uselessly at his side.

"I couldn't transform...not even into subarmor..." Ryo whispered, feeling cold.

Shin blinked, and then reached out his hand.

Ryo withdrew his armor ball and handed it over to Shin. It glared a deep, blood crimson in Shin's armored hand. He dropped it with a yell, and Ryo caught it before it landed on the floor. Shin looked at his hand, and found a small burn mark. Ryo looked at the ball in his hand, perplexed.

"What happened?"

Shin detransformed, and looked at his hand again. Nothing. "Strange..."

Shu reached out to touch it, and found that his hand couldn't get closer than 5 inches to the sphere.

"Weird..."

Ryo put it back into his pocket, confused. Why did Shin and Shu react like that? He had no trouble holding it.

Did this have anything to do with...?

"Who was that guy?"

"What?"

"There was a guy who was with those creatures. Didn't you see him?"

Toma was startled at the sudden hatred in Ryo's eyes.

"Yes. I did."

Seiji looked thoughtful. "We know his name, and that he's dangerous. But we don't know the name of the truly dangerous one we're facing..."

"Perhaps it's better this way...to say the name is to summon the person."

The Ronins returned to street clothes, and with that reality snapped back into place. Shu looked at the clock and gasped.

"Impossible! No time has passed."

Jun looked away from the binoculars, confused. "What?"

Seiji frowned. "He has a lot of power then..."

"Wha?"

"Who can have so much power as to stop time for everyone but us?"

Ryo shivered in fear as Kage shivered in desire. "I don't know."

"Guuuuuys. What're you talking about?"

"This situation seems to be getting worse and worse..."

"Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuys!"

The Ronins were glad to get rid of Jun so that they could stop evading the questions he asked. Kage taunted Ryo as they made their way home, fraying Ryo's temper to the breaking point, but stopping before he snapped. The anger sunk into him and simmered, and Kage was content.


	20. Kage's Takeover

Shu glared darkly at the paper before him. His morning had sucked. He had nearly overslept, had to engage in a frantic search for his homework which had somehow been misplaced, was unable to grab anything to eat, had forgotten his money at home, the guys had none to lend him, and he just flunked a test. His luck was not good this morning. His temper was at the breaking point. So when Ryo made the mistake of rejoicing over his test grade at lunch, Shu snapped. He swung at him and Ryo dodged, barely. Shu now had an outlet for his anger, and couldn't stop, didn't want to, really. He attacked mercilessly and Ryo defended, but Shu still managed to land a few good hits. Ryo was a better swordsman than fighter. At each hit, Ryo's eyes became somehow bluer until it hurt to look at his eyes. The tide turned, slowly. Ryo seemed to get a burst of energy and began to fight back. Shu was tiring, his anger and energy dissipating beneath the melding of cold anger and amusement in Ryo's eyes. Ryo threw Shu off balance, then kneed him in the stomach, and watched contemptuously as Shu dropped to his knees, gasping for air. Ryo snarled.

"What the hell was that for!"

"...stop..."

"Well?"

"Stop bragging! You're all smart now, you always know the best plans, you have all the power, you get all the credit, you're the 'leader'. I'm sick of it! You act all humble but all you want is attention."

Ryo gapped at Shu as Kage whispered poison to him.

Shu leered as he stood. "What, speechless O mighty leader?"

Ryo snarled and decked Shu before stalking off, leaving an unconscious Shu and stunned friends behind.

Ryo fumed in the gym as he sat, unable to participate because he had broken two racquets in his anger.

'That...that...Shu...who does he think...what does he know?'

__

What if he's right?

Ryo turned and looked at the window as he rested, and glared at Kage.

What do you mean?

__

You do have a high opinion of yourself.

I have good self-esteem.

__

Or is that a cloak for arrogance?

Ryo turned away from the window, but Kage remained in his mind.

__

Do you want revenge on Shu?

NO! yes...

__

Did I hear you say 'yes'?

Ha! Shu's a friend. I wouldn't do that.

__

You wouldn't. I will.

What do you mean?

__

I'll get your revenge on Shu. I'll make him pay for insulting you, for hurting you, for embarrassing you.

What's the cost?

__

The use of your body, of course.

"Ryo? Are you feeling okay?"

Ryo blinked, not having noticed he'd gone through the rest of the period, and was now walking home with the guys.

"Yes. I'm fine."

Shin winced at the clipped tone and Shu jumped on another chance to taunt Ryo. Ryo's anger swelled again, and ha gave an accusatory glare at the others for not stepping in during their physical and verbal fights earlier and for not doing anything now. Ryo stalked up to his room, slammed the door, threw his bag on his bed, and stood in front of the mirror, his whole body vibrating in fury.

"Kage," he snarled softly and watched his reflection change ever so slightly.

__

Yes?

Ryo swallowed hard, having second thoughts. He knew most likely what would happen as a result of his request. As he thought of his friends, his anger reasserted itself and he decided.

"Take the body. It's yours."

Kage didn't need encouragement, and the reflection in the mirror changed to Ryo's appearance, who closed his eyes and surrendered to the soft darkness Kage wrapped around him. Now he wouldn't have to deal with Shu, Jun's annoyance, Naste's hen-pecking, Shin's overbearing concern, Seiji's need to always be right, Toma's super-smartness and... Yuu, with his insincerity. Kage smiled as Ryo faded, but with an act of will and stubbornness he kept his appearance that of Ryo.

'Can't have them suspect, now can we?'

Kage sat down, flipped through Ryo's photo albums and waited. After all, Ryo was known to be prey to fits of sulkiness. Once everyone was asleep, he silently slipped out of the house and walked to the lake. He was surprised to see Kisu already waiting there.

"Well?"

"Toma's birthday is tomorrow. We're going to a semi-fancy restaurant. Lots of people. Easy to blend in."

"And you want to strike then?"

"Yes."

Kisu thought this over, then smiled. "Alright."


	21. Revelations

Shu laughed at Seiji's obvious annoyance at his rather obnoxious friend.

"C'mon! Relax. This is supposed to be a party."

Seiji sighed, getting a headache. He didn't like it when Shu got this loud, because he was always sitting next to him when he got this way. He smiled faintly. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Even Ryo, who had seemed a little withdrawn during the morning, was acting comfortable, relaxed and happy to be spending time with his friends. Very well, then. _He_ wasn't going to be the one to ruin a party. He shook of the nasty feeling he had had since they entered the restaurant and made a determined effort to shut Shu up. Kage smiled. Ohhh, this was going to be so much fun. Of course, it would blow his cover entirely. They wouldn't trust him after today.

'That's okay, though. Ryo doesn't want to be around them anymore and I can kick their asses in peace without him bugging me. In fact, he might enjoy it…' Kage chuckled softly to himself, then quieted as he felt Him enter. He feigned attention to the conversation at the table, and he felt his hand lightly brush his neck before He was led to a nearby table, and flirted with the waitress, sending her off blushing. Kage gave him a mild glare, but He ignored it. Kage sighed, then shook his head. He was ready to do this. Why was he waiting? As he squirmed inwardly to be free of his leash, quiet slowly descended in the restaurant. He looked to the table next to them, and saw them talking, laughing, but everything seemed muffled. Seiji and Shin noticed first, and tensed. Shin looked around. They seemed the only real things. But…he turned and looked behind him. There was another person here, who seemed real. When the man looked at him he gasped and felt cold. It was _him_.

Seiji heard Shin and looked where he was. He snarled softly.

"When will you ever go back from the hole you came from? Haven't you killed enough?"

The warrior smiled amiably. "Nope."

The simple answer and his voice woke Toma to the danger, and he turned in his chair, and swallowed hard.

Shu was confused. What was everyone looking at. When the face finally registered, he grinned.

"Where have you been? I've been practicing." His voice was wobbly, his courage brought on by the sake fading beneath the ageless, depthless, cold eyes.

"Then you want to fight me?"

"Not in this restaurant!" Shin managed to say, breathless. The cold was stifling.

"Where else? This is as good a place as any."

Seiji and Toma stood, transforming into their armor, Shu only a second behind. Shin started to gather himself, but Kage clamped his hand over Shin's mouth, having transformed into his subarmor when everyone else did.

"Oh, no you don't Mouri Shin," he whispered in Shin's ear, making Shin start.

He turned, swinging at his unknown assailant. When he saw who he was fighting he stared.

"Ryo?"

"Not really."

"Then…?"

"I've already told you my name."

Shin stared. Everything was the same as Ryo…no, not exactly. His eyes were violently blue, not Ryo's milder ice color. His hair was longer, and somehow darker with a deep blue sheen to it. He seemed lither than Ryo, and his voice was deeper, rougher. The subarmor was the deep crimson and black. Then, this was…?

"Kage."

"No! Are you Ryo?"

"Yes and no."

"That's vague."

"Well, Ryo is me and I am Ryo. Just a different facet of him, that's all." He smiled faintly, and Shin's eyes went wide.

"You mean…wait…kage…"

"So glad you figured it out."

Kage lunged and tackled Shin, who had barely managed to transform into his sub-armor. Seiji, Shu, and Toma turned to see why there had been a loud crack, but the warrior got to them first, distracting them. He sent Seiji flying into another table and Seiji gasped when he saw the people flare brilliant silver before collapsing.

The warrior smiled. "They still die, even though they aren't 'real' to you."

Seiji looked at the unmoving bodies, saw the silent screams of terror.

"How…is this possible?"

Toma stared at the warrior, unbelieving. "You're lying."

The warrior reached out beside him and struck the back of a person's neck. They saw it loll on his shoulder and saw the fright in his family's eyes.

He smirked and with a swipe of his scythe killed the entire family.

Toma was paralyzed with horror. Why…how could this be happening?

"Just how powerful are you?"

The warrior didn't answer. He looked Toma in the eyes and Toma felt like he was falling. There was nothing in there. An empty abyss of cold that seared him to the soul and bared all his secrets to him. His mouth worked, but he found he couldn't scream. Shu gathered himself and charged at the warrior, even though Seiji began to yell at him not to. The warrior smiled and sidestepped his stroke, and so let Toma go. He collapsed onto the floor, holding his head. He could still feel him in there, still felt his soul shaken to its foundations.

Shi n struggled against Kage's hold, and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying. Kage landed on a table, and stood, looking at Shin in amusement. Seiji, Shu, and Toma saw the movement and looked. Shu snarled.

"You again."

"Me again."

The voice was hauntingly familiar. Seiji was wary, and slid into a fighting stance, trying to judge who was more of a threat. Shin staggered up next to them, face grim.

Kage looked at the warrior. They had a conversation with their eyes, and Kage grinned.

"Here we go!"

He transformed into his armor, and Seiji stared.

"No way…"

Kage lunged at them, Shin barely managing to deflect him from killing a vulnerable Toma. Kage and Shin began to fight, each absorbed in the defeat of the other. Shu watched, amazed. He had never known Shin was so good. Seiji was about to help when he was sent flying into a wall.

"Now, now, Halo. Can't have you helping."

Seiji turned and transformed, Shu not far behind. Between the two fights, the restaurant was slowly being torn apart, people dying at each stroke. The warrior caught both Seiji's sword and Shu's staff and sent them flying out the door into the blinding sunlight. Toma, in only subarmor, landed on them only a moment afterwards.

Kage and Shin parted, circling each other.

"It's finished."

Both Shin and Kage turned to look at the warrior, who smiled faintly at them.

"Look around you."

Shin and Kage turned to look and as a malign grin spread on Kage's face, Shin paled.

"They're all dead."

"You've failed, Shin of the Torrent."

Shin looked sharply at Kage.

"It's your job to protect them, right? And now they're all here, dead."

"Ryo! Why are you fighting _for him_? What made you change?"

"Kage. My name is Kage. It's my, and Ryo's, choice to fight this way. He felt that being a goody-two-shoes wasn't enough incentive to save the world that gave him no salve for the wounds he received. So, now this body, this power, and this consciousness is _mine_." Kage sprang at Shin, caught him in the stomach with a punch and threw him over his shoulder to knock down Shu and Seiji who were trying to get their feet back under them. As they struggled to push Shin off, Kage and the Warrior stepped out into the sunlight.

"We'll see you again, Ronins."

"We got what we wanted."

Kage smiled. "We killed everyone in there and gave you a wonderful birthday present, Toma. I hope you had as much fun as I did!"

Kage and the Warrior faded into the shadows, leaving the bewildered warriors in the street, stunned.

As the Ronins rested at home, recovering from the day, Seiji asked the question that had been on his, Toma's, and Shu's minds.

"Was that Ryo?"

Shin looked into his cup of tea, and nodded. "It was."

"No way! It…can't be…"

Shin sighed. "I'm afraid it is true…"

"Shit."

Shin agreed with Shu. But as he thought, he slowly descended into darker thoughts, blaming himself for his ignorance and inability to help the people he cared for. His eyes clouded, and he fell silent, as the others tried to adapt to the fact that their friend, their leader, was now their enemy.


	22. Brooding

Author: yay! 22 chapters! Such a loooooser. Thank you all for commenting. I love you all. This is short because I felt that I can't keep on pounding you with tons of action. Enjoy the brief respite, because a lot is coming next…

Shin looked across the classroom at the empty seat near the window where Ryo should have been. He ached for a moment, missing him and feeling his loss, but then was flooded with anger at his betrayal. How could this have happened? How could he have missed it? He had been living with them the entire time…they had been harboring a Dynasty warlord in their midst. But how come he didn't see? Why didn't any of them see? He had been acting like Ryo…there was no difference. Was that why he couldn't touch Ryo's armor ball? Because it was no longer the Wildfire? Because he was no longer Ryo? Maybe. Maybe not. But now they had an enemy who knew all their secrets, all the shadows in their hearts and they had no idea how he would act, who he would go after or how…no. Shin had an idea. Kage could have killed him, the Warrior could have killed them all any number of times. But he had wanted Ryo. He had wanted Ryo because of the knowledge that he had. He had converted him. But he hadn't taken over the world yet. He needed the rest of them to form the Inferno armor. He would start going after each of them next, slowly chipping away at the bonds that held them together. Shin thought that he could guess whom Kage or the Warrior would go after first, since Kage had told him. He would be careful. He would be cautious. He wouldn't trust anyone now, because he didn't want to be the next one to fall to the shadow in his soul. He didn't want to be consumed by the darkness within him, fall prey to his own doubts. As he thought and tried to make sense of the change in his life, he didn't notice that what he was trying to avoid was slowly invading his thoughts, slowly working its way into him, beginning to burrow into the depths of his being.


	23. Shin's Battle

Author: Have I mentioned before that I find Jun/Yulie _extremely_ annoying?

The Ronins hid their anxiety from Jun as they walked around the mall. It was Jun's parent's anniversary, and since they knew he _lurved_ the guys, why not dump him on them? Perfect plan. With a strong enough effort, they were able to put on the façade of normalcy. Kage leaned on the railing of the third floor, looking down. He snickered, feeling the barely concealed panic rolling off them. Kisu came to stand next to him, and looked where he was.

"Ah…my timing is as I thought it would be."

"Uh-huh. You knew they were going to be here. How? Even _I_ didn't know they were going to be here."

"It's been about a week, firebug. You wouldn't."

"How do you keep up to date? You haven't spent the time around them I have?"

"Have you forgotten, my little flame?"

Kage paused, about to say 'what was there to forget?' when a thought dawned on him. "Oh. Right."

Kisu grinned and sighed happily. "Poor little Ronins. Wouldn't it be a shame to fight with all these people here?"

Kage snickered, and Kisu casually reached out into the crowd, dragging one person towards him. The man was about to protest when he caught Kisu's gaze. He stopped struggling immediately, and Kage felt a conversation flit between them. The man nodded slightly, looking greatly relieved. Kisu helped him up over the railing, and watched as he fell. He was extremely proud of his aim. He splattered right in front of the Ronins, sending blood flinging on them all, as a sickening crunch echoed in the now quiet halls. The Ronins felt Kisu and Kage watching, and looked up at them. Kage watched as their expressions fluctuated between horror, disgust, anger, and anxiety.

"Shall we?"

Kage and Kisu jumped over the railing, drawing screams of fear. Kisu hit the ground, and a surge of shadows flowed from beneath him, freezing the people in their places, and they began to glow a faint silver. Kisu slowly stood, Kage already in subarmor. The Ronins were transformed into their armor, too, and were surprised to find the man in human clothing.

"What, you thought I wouldn't try to blend in?"

Shu snarled. "I don't care! You're still mine!" Shu lunged, and the Warrior stepped aside, dodging the blow and changing into sub-armor, his scythe coming with it. Kage transformed into the Darkfire and began to fight Shin, they two of them blocking out everything but each other.

"ryo!"

"kage, damnit. I'm not Ryo anymore. Get it through your skull!"

Shin dodged a blow meant to knock his helmet off and reposed.

"Look, what made you go with him? What's there to be gained from helping him?"

"Have you looked at him? Really looked? Everything about him is so…fluid…powerful…he exhudes strength and allure. He has a power I've never dreamed of."

"You never cared about power before!"

"I'm sick of being pushed around! Shin! Have you ever wondered what it would be like to just…stop protecting the world? You yourself were willing to give up your armor, to stop fighting."

"I can't stop fighting until the evil in this world can be defeated!"

"Then you must defeat yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Shin, it's inside you too. There's evil within you."

"I know that, but I can control it."

"Can you? War, battles, bring out anger which brings out the darker part of human beings. You are much more in touch with the evil in you than you are willing to admit."

"I will never join you."

"Why not? Shin, you won't have to worry about what people think anymore. You won't have to constantly being doing things for people, you can finally care for yourself, do only what you want to."

"I'll never be that self-serving!"

"Then you want to give up your freedom? For what? There are people all over the world who know nothing about your battles, care nothing about your fight to save them from the threat that begins in Japan and would conquer the world. You're kind, Shin. Everyone agrees that you are. But does anyone appreciate your kindness? Shu never thanks you for the food you cook, Toma doesn't acknowledge that you're smarter than him in biology, Seiji doesn't want to admit that you're as good a warrior as he is. I think that I was the only one who ever thanked you for anything. If it was I, then what does that say about the others? They don't treat you as they should. Come with me, and you will be appreciated." Kage pinned Shin to a nearby pillar, one sword piercing through his left shoulder, the other through his right elbow. As Shin screamed in pain, Kage gently wiped away some of his blood and licked it, smiling. His eyes bored into Shin, making him wince from the sheer power hiding beneath them, the malice that was in every line of his body. "Consider my words, Shin Mouri. I'll see you soon, waiting for your answer." He gently ran his bloody fingers down Shin's cheek and pulled out his swords, watching Shin fall. Kage turned to find Kisu standing languidly over a pile of bloody , battered Ronins. Kage grinned, then laughed.

"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic." Kage raised one sword, which was dripping blood, and a column of black fire swirled around him. He looked at Shin, making sure he saw.

This is your fault Shin. You're not strong enough to beat me. What's the saying? If you can't beat them, join them? I look forward to you joining me.

He laughed and the darkfire swirled out, filling the mall with his laughter and the sound of a thousand voices crying out in pain.

Shin came too in a hospital, his arms burning in cold. He felt something within him growing, solidifying into an inescapable truth.

He was weak. He wasn't worthy of being a Ronin Warrior.

No! No, I'm strong…I have been able to protect this realmn from so many dangers, I can do it now, too.

What was the use. He'd fail. No one would help him. Not even his "friends." They were worried with surviving, themselves. And he couldn't even protect them. He was worthless.

Shin closed his eyes, wanting to block out the doubts that seem to have solidified into words, into things that were too solid to deny. He began to cry as his soul spiraled into confusion and shadows.


	24. Temptation

Shu watched Shin, silent. He hadn't seen Shin cry in a long time. That bastard! He was going to _kill_ that Warrior.

'We've been fighting him for months now and we still don't know his name!' he thought vehemently.

**Kill me, hm? Is that what you want?**

Shu whirled, looking around. He felt something enter behind his eyes, felt detached from his body. He struggled against the bonds that were wrapping around him.

What are you doing! Who _are_ you!

**That doesn't matter. Come, I want to meet you without actually having to fight you.**

Shu felt himself leave the room, head hanging down as if in sorrow, his hand slipping down the cold metal. He walked out of the hospital without saying anything and stepped onto a train. He didn't know where he was going, but the detachment was lulling him to sleep, to laziness. What was going on? His vision hazed and he didn't see where he was going until he was suddenly alone and he fell to his knees as he tried to regain his senses. When he looked up, he saw the warrior waiting for him. He immediately shot up onto his feet, but was frozen by the icy, violating gaze.

"So, Shu of Hardrock."

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"So many questions. Come, sit beside me." He sat down and Shu felt his legs drawn forward, and he sat next to the Warrior, and marvled at how tall he was. He was surprised at the look on his face, one of sadness and…a feeling of a weight that he couldn't shed. After a moment's weakness, Shu snarled.

"What do you want me here for?"

"To talk."

"About what?"

"Shin is slipping away from you."

"WHAT?"

The Warrior raised his eyebrows. "You can't see?"

"Shin…he…!"

"Kage is slowly wooing him away from you. And I know he means more than you are willing to admit, Shu."

"What do you mean?" Shu was wary. He was touching a subject that he hadn't brought up with anyone.

The Warrior turned and smiled faintly at him, and caressed his face, making him shiver. He tilted Shu's head up and looked him in the eyes. As Shu felt all his barriers drop away, he felt the Warrior chuckle.

"You love him, Shu. I can see it in your heart, in your mind, the secrets and shadows you've hidden within yourself."

"no…" Shu breathed, his eyes wide. This couldn't be happening! This was his secret! He was only going to share it with Shin when he finally stopped running away.

"listen to me, Shu. There are other things I see here. I see the potential for a gretness beyond what you've allowed yourself. A strength tempered by the chains of society. I can release you from them, from those duties. You could finally tell Shin, could finally give in to your emotions entirely. No one would call you impulsive. No one would tease you ever again, Shu."

Shu closed his eyes, letting the Warrior's voice echo within him, filling him, calling to him to tread a path he had always been shying away from. His breath caught slightly when he thought of the others.

Don't worry. They will be joining you too. You and Shin can finally be together… 

The Warrior left Shu sitting on a bench overlooking the lake, and Shu stared out blankly, his words sinking into him, confusing him, making him yearn for what was promised. But…the others…his duties as a Ronin Warrior…Shu grasped his head in his hands and moaned, trying to make sense of the thoughts that were scrambling his sense of justice, of right and wrong as his Kanji flickered faintly, feebly, on his forehead.


	25. Shu's Battle

Kage sat next to Kisu, leaning his head against his chest, eyes half closed.

"It's going well."

"Yes."

"You're working on Hardrock?"

"The best way to convince him, however, is to get Shin."

"I guess I'll need your help, then."

"What do you plan?"

Kage thought, eyes closing. "I'm not sure."

"Well, then. Shin feels the same was about Shu…to change one is to ensnare the other. I'll double my efforts on Shu, then. He'll be easier to change. I just have to work maybe a little harder…he won't be too hard."

"Why?"

"He's the most impulsive. He's the easiest to turn against his friends. It'll just take the right words phrased in the right way. Chip away at his self control."

"How're you going to do that?"

"I've already managed to work my way into his mind. His mental barriers are horrible. I've already planted ideas, words inside him. This…will be fun."

"Oh? Why?"

"He loves to fight. I'll capture him that way."

Kisu slowly stood, and Kage watched him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"He loves to fight. He lives for a physical challenge. I'm able to provide that, don't you think?"

Kage grinned. "Of course. But I want to fight too!"

"You and he can practice together, I suppose. Though once we have Shin, too…I suspect they'll be occupied with other things."

Kage laughed as Kisu put on civilian clothes and pulled back his hair. He looked in the mirror for a moment, and Kage stared. Kisu smiled and turned away. Kage watched him go, astonished. He had always thought, even as Ryo, but now…there was no doubt.

"That's how he's known all their moves, all their fears, all Ryo's secrets…my God…"

Shu was unable to concentrate that day, and so had given up on trying to do his homework. He went outside and lay on the shore of the lake, trying to make sense of his jumbled thoughts.

"Damn…"

Yuu sat down next to him, and began to pick at the grass, and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't believe me and I don't think you can keep a secret."

"Oh? Try me. I've been through a lot of weird things."

"Like what?"

"Well, my parents divorced when I was three. I recently found out I have a little sister who I've never met before, and she's 13 now. I've moved around the United States, I've seen Europe and South America, have been sick with some of the strangest diseases on Earth, have been subject to some of the oddest customs…trust me, I've seen a lot."

Shu stared at him. Maybe…he could trust him. Maybe. He knew about the armors, anyway.

"The warrior…you know, the guy we've been fighting?"

"Yes, I remember. What about him?"

"I've met him."

"Really?"  
Shu nodded, and sighed. "He said a few things to me that…I'm not sure about myself anymore."

Yuu looked at him, concerned at the defeat and uncertainty in Shu's voice.

"Like what?"

"Am I…I…ah, nevermind."

Yuu pouted, annoyed. "C'mon. I haven't told a soul about your armors, and that's one very big, very juicy secret."

Shu sighed, and looked at him. Yuu's gaze was calm, kind, and understanding. Without wanting to, Shu found himself telling Yuu all his doubts about himself, his fears. He skipped over Shin, but other than that confided into Yuu. When he was done, waiting for the reaction, Yuu just leaned over and hugged him. When he withdrew, he smiled slightly.

"Now, now. Come on. I promise not to tell anyone, and if you ever need to talk again…I'm here."

Shu nodded, and looked down. Yuu stood, concerned, and looked into the water. He froze. Shit. He turned away and began to walk away, at first seeming calm, but his vision slowly began to darken, and the last thing he remembered was walking into the forest.

Shu heard him leave, and laid on his back, sighing. Why had he told him all that? Was it because he was weak from the Warrior's suggestions? He snarled at himself, at his silliness and stood. When he turned to head back to the house, the warrior was standing halfway between the trees and him.

Shu snarled and transformed into his armor, and attacked. The warrior dodged and prodded him, provoked him further and further into anger until he was almost drugged, excited from the adrenaline coursing through him. The warrior seemed to be drawing him out, making him prove all his skills. He and the warrior disarmed each other at the same time, and it became a fist fight, rather than with weapons, both in subarmor. Shu was panting, and was alarmed to see the warrior hadn't broken a sweat. As he watched the warrior fight, he felt something recognizable about the style, about his speed and the fluidity. When it finally dawned on him, he backed up and was pinned to the ground by the warrior's weight, his knees breaking under the pressure, his wrists snapping in his hold. Shu gasped with pain, and stared up at the warrior.

"You…are…?"

The warrior leaned down and whispered in his ear, "My name is Kisu no _Shi_n_ten_shi."

Shu shuddered at the name, and gasped at the ice that slowly seemed to blossom from within him.

"Shu of Hardrock, listen to my proposal. If you come with me, you will not have to justify your temper. No one will insult your intelligence. You won't have to hide your feelings for Shin. You won't have to control your anger. You can fight to your heart's content. I feel in you a true desire to fight, to destroy, to kill."

"I will never become evil!"

"Really, Shu? Look at it from my perspective. To me, you've always been _evil_."

Shu's breath caught, and he looked up into the entrancing, depthless, haunting eyes.

"What?"

"You're evil, Shu."

"No! I've protected mankind from evil!"

"Shu, you are my enemy. To me, you've always been evil. If you fight against me, you are no longer "good". I am, since I am searching for a new world order where only the strong will be worthy of God, and I will have all the souls I desire."

"What do you want with souls?"

"Shu. I am the Death Angel. My name says so. And you know, no one can win against Death. So, forego this meager existence that chains you. Come with me, Shu. You will be free from responsibility. Free from everything that's told you your desires are wrong."

Shu struggled against Kisu's hold and Kisu let him go, standing up. He looked down on Shu, broken, in pain, and confused.

"Think it over, Shu. I will give you three days to consider my proposal. I am giving you a chance for greatness."

Kisu smiled kindly, gently, and disappeared.

Seiji walked out, looking for Shu, who hadn't come back to the house, and it was nearly sundown.

"Shu?"

He walked out onto the lake and saw a form laying on the bank, still.

Seiji ran over and was relieved to find Shu there, breathing. He kneeled down and was about to speak to him, but the emptiness in his eyes, the void of uncertainty he could see in them unnerved him. He gently shook Shu, who looked at him and slowly sat up, his eyes gaining consciousness again.

"What time is it? I'm starving."

Seiji smiled in relief, and helped Shu up, walking back to the house with him, supporting his defeated, heavy body.


	26. Shin's Decision

Shin sighed as he watched Shu. He had been acting strangely, withdrawing from him. Just when he was getting close…no matter. It was best not to hold anyone too close to him. That would just give Kage or the warrior incentive to attack them. So, he'd have to set aside his feelings until things had died down. When he stood up to leave for home, he found his way blocked by Shu's arm, keeping him inside the classroom, long after the teacher and students had left.

"What is it, Shu?"

Shu hesitated, and his shoulders slumped. "Am I evil, Shin? Am I wrong to feel…how I do…about you?"

Shin started. He wasn't certain what the second question implied, but he shook his head.

"No, Shu, you aren't evil."

Shu was relieved, but then again…he was talking to Shin. Shin would always soften his words, hide the unbearable truth from his friends. Shu looked at Shin, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Shu paused for a moment before leaning in, and, to Shin's ultimate surprise, kissed Shin.

Shin was caught completely off-guard, his eyes widening as Shu pulled away.

As he was about to speak, Shin put his fingers on his lips and shook his head. This…was not expected. But it was not unwanted. Shin withdrew his fingers and gently kissed Shu back.

Kage turned away from the window, chuckling to himself. Oh, wonderful! This was…amazing. Kisu was right. Take one and the other follows. He could plan around this now. He'd have to tell Kisu what his suggestions had wrought…oh, this would be _so_ much fun.

Kage sat on the edge of the pool as he watched Shin finish practice. He really was quite beautiful when in the water. He understood how Shu could want him. But that didn't matter much, now did it? He had a weapon, and he would use it. He was true to his name, and shadowed Shin as he left school and began to walk home. Kage appeared suddenly next to Shin and before Shin could react, he had dragged him into a clearing in the forest. Shin crouched in a fighting stance, and Kage remained standing, relaxed.

"Did you enjoy your little time alone with Shu? Who do you think kept people from walking in on you two?"

Shin paled, then flushed. "You were watching?"

Kage gave him a disdainful look. "I'm not that sick. But still, imagine what slander would have been applied to your names…and isn't it sad that you have to hide all of your emotions?" Kage walked up to him and gently laid a hand on his cheek, and Shin pulled away, frightened to see Ryo is Kage's eyes, equally joined in the malign machinations Kage and the Warrior were working about them.

"Shin, why do you fight?"

"To protect the people I care about, to ensure that the world isn't taken over by people like you!"

"Uh-huh. Then you've already failed."

"What?"

"Shin, you couldn't protect Ryo from 'people like me'. You weren't able to protect the people at school, in the business buildings, the shopping mall, the department store, the apartment houses."

Shin flinched at each location listed, and the guilt weighed more heavily on his soul.

"You're incompetent, Shin."

"No! I've saved the world so many times…"

"But the world has never cared. Others have been sloppy. This is the first time you can't win. Shin, you are fighting a pointless battle against yourself."

"What do you mean?" Shin was looking for a way out of the forest, but every opening was blocked by…something.

"I can see the shadow rising in your heart. You're being consumed by the doubts you have about your feelings, your friends, your fitness, your sanity, your very existence. Do you want to continue this self-mutilation? I thought you were smarter than that."

Shin paled, speechless. He wasn't that way…right?

"Stop denying yourself, Shin. I can help you find a way to forget about all these silly rules you are bound by. You won't have to listen to anyone, worry about what other people think…Kisu nor will I bind you to any promises. You won't have to help our plans. We will force you to do nothing."

Kage was suddenly far too close, his violent blue eyes boring into Shin's.

"Come with me, Shin." His voice was soft, compelling, reasonable.

Shin's eyes were clouding as the words he had said were worming their way into his mind and everything he had been experiencing solidified into a wall barring him from the rest of the world, and his desire to be rid of all the social conventions strengthened, and his sea-blue eyes were filled with decision. Kage smiled and place his hand on Shin's chest, and Shin's subarmor appeared, and darkened to the grey/blue of storm water. Kage withdrew and in his hands came the faintly burning Torrent armor ball and he disappeared into the growing twilight as Shin's civilian clothes returned, and Shin relaxed, his eyes their normal color, but nothing the same about him.


	27. Shu's Conversion

Author**: WARNING**! **If you can't stand Shounen-Ai, do NOT read this chapter. **This is the only chapter that skirts the PG-13 rating. I am not going to be like some individuals and include the sex scene. No. I refuse! It's just going to be very very heavily implied. You have been warned.

Shu was chewing on the end of a pen, his cheeks flushed slightly. What had possessed him earlier? Was he _completely_ insane? He sighed, glared at his math textbook and slammed it shut. Damn finals tomorrow. When he leaned back, he was startled to be looking up into Shin's amused blue/green eyes.

"Shin..." he murmured softly, a blush coloring his cheeks. "I'm sorry about earlier..."

Shin smiled and shook his head. "Nothing to apologize about."

"Still, I shouldn't have..."

"...forced yourself on me? Did it look like I wanted you to stop?"

Shu shook his head slowly, hesitant. "But..."

He couldn't finish the sentence, since Shin's lips were lightly pressed against his. He closed his eyes and gently brushed the back of his hand against Shin's face. Shin pulled away and smiled.

"There. Don't feel like you've done something bad anymore."

Shin pulled back and dragged a chair up next to Shu, and sat next to him.

"I've been meaning to tell you for a while now, anyway..." Shin murmured and looked away, appearing sheepish and embarrassed.

Shu was stunned. "You feel the same way?"

"Yes."

Their lips found each other again, but instead of being just a kiss it was something more. Something that made Shu feel weak and strengthened that made him want Shin more than he thought he had. He didn't notice when Shin stood, pulling him up with him. He was amazed, praying that he wasn't dreaming. Shu's hands began to lightly caress Shin, who shivered. Shu stopped for a moment, hesitant, his brain confused. What was he doing? Another kiss drew his mind away from rational thought. The emotions he had kept secret and silent for so long finally rose and engulfed him. He tore of Shin's light jacket and roughly pulled off his T-shirt. He was encouraged by Shin's light laughter and the fact that Shin was also removing his clothes. He heard Shin whisper something to him, and he struggled to focus on the question. It was brushed away from his mind when he felt Shin's lips on his chest, felt Shin's hands caressing his back. He moaned and decided that anything Shin said couldn't be too unreasonable. He gasped when he discovered that their clothes had been completely discarded, but Shin's encouraging whisper drove any doubts from his mind as they fell onto the bed together, Shu's armor ball dimming to a muddy orange, it's light fading under each moan.

Kisu gently played with Kage's hair as Kage's head rested in his lap.

"You've done well."

"There's only two left now. They'll be harder, though."

"Kage, if you can convince the most moral of all the Ronins to trust you and convert, I'm certain that we can get Toma and Seiji to come over."

Kage nodded slightly, his violently blue eyes closing, lulled by the power that surrounded Kisu and the heat of the fire on his face. Kisu waited until Kage was asleep and then picked him up, placing him on their bed.

"You have done so well, my little firebug. It's only fair that I work again to pull Seiji over to us. But how?" Kisu kissed Kage's lips lightly before turning and walking out the door of their room, going to greet his two new Warlords and to ponder over how to twist Seiji to his own use.

Author: Sorry, sorry. Short, I know. But _I_ have to think on how to convert Seiji. Any and all ideas are welcome.


End file.
